Death Penalty News

William Reaves is scheduled to be executed by lethal injection at Florida State Prison on Oct. 20th. It's the 18th death warrant Gov. DeSantis has signed this year. Reaves shot Deputy Sheriff Richard Raczkowski in September 23, 1986. Gov. Ron DeSantis signed his 18th death warrant of the year Friday. William Reaves, convicted of the 1986 killing of an Indian River County Sheriff's deputy, is set to be executed by lethal injection at Florida State Prison in Starke on Oct. 20.

Trooper Bob Martin was killed during a traffic stop on the Beeline highway; execution for his killer could be as soon as January PHOENIX (AZFamily)—The Arizona Attorney General is asking for an execution date to be set for a man convicted in the killing of an Arizona State Trooper over 30 years ago. On Aug. 15, 1995, Trooper Bob Martin was shot and killed while performing a traffic stop along the Beeline Highway.

Federal prosecutors say Clarence A. Frazier Jr. barricaded himself inside his home before allegedly opening fire on federal officers A Louisiana man has been charged with murder after allegedly killing a deputy U.S. marshal who was shot while serving an arrest warrant, federal officials announced Tuesday. Multiple law enforcement officers were attempting to serve an arrest warrant related to a prior sexual battery charge when Clarence A. Frazier Jr., 48, of Alexandria, allegedly barricaded himself inside his home and opened fire, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Western District of Louisiana.

Government says men were involved in terror and drug cases between 2014 and 2022; over 100 remain on death row, Amman says executions to proceed ‘one by one’ Jordan hanged on Sunday six men convicted of killing security personnel, a government official said, ending a nine-year moratorium on the use of the death penalty. Government spokesman Mohammad Momani said in a statement that the men had been convicted in “terrorism and criminal cases” that led to the deaths and injuries of police officers and soldiers. According to the Jordanian Roya News outlet, the executions were carried out at dawn Sunday. Two of the men were involved in a 2018 case in the city of Salt, where six security officers were killed during a raid, the Jordanian government said.

Dubai: Kuwait has executed five men convicted of murder and other serious crimes after their death sentences were upheld by the country's highest courts and ratified by the Emir, the Public Prosecution said. The executions were carried out by hanging at the Central Prison after all legal procedures had been completed, according to a statement carried by local media. The public prosecution said the convicts had been granted all constitutional guarantees, including the right to defense and appeal throughout the investigation and trial process. 

FRANKLIN COUNTY, Mo. – A judge issued a death sentence Thursday for Kenneth Simpson, the man who shot two police officers in Hermann and killed one in 2023. Simpson was convicted of first-degree murder and eight other felonies in the shooting and death of Detective Sgt. Mason Griffith and the shooting of Officer Adam Sullentrup on March 12, 2023. On Thursday, in a packed courtroom, prosecutors introduced evidence that showed Simpson bragging about the shooting on video calls, where he claimed law enforcement officers were no match for him.

The Alabama Court of Criminal Appeals has officially affirmed the capital murder conviction and death sentence of Marco Perez, according to an announcement made by Attorney General Steve Marshall on Monday. This ruling marks a significant milestone in a case that began over seven years ago with the shooting death of Mobile Police Officer Sean Tuder. The legal journey reached this point after Perez was initially convicted in the Mobile County Circuit Court on March 18, 2024. During that trial, a jury voted 11–1 in favor of the death penalty, a recommendation the court followed.

SPARTANBURG — A 59-year-old man sentenced to death for killing a state trooper in Greenville County in 2000 can’t be executed because of a mental illness that’s left him incoherent and believing he’s immortal, a Circuit Court judge has ruled. John Richard Wood is the first condemned inmate in South Carolina found not competent to be executed since the state restarted capital punishment in September 2024. The seven executions since then include three men who chose to die by firing squad — the latest in November. Wood, convicted 24 years ago, was among death row inmates in line to receive a death warrant after exhausting their regular appeals.

Billy Kearse was the third Florida execution this year, after a record 19 in 2025. He killed Fort Pierce cop Danny Parrish in 1991. Billy Leon Kearse spent 29 years on death row for killing Fort Pierce police Sgt. Danny Parrish in 1991 — and the case likely cost taxpayers over $1 million or potentially much more. Before Kearse’s execution on March 3 , his various appeals over the decades may have racked up legal fees, but research shows the cost of capital punishment outpaces that of life imprisonment sentences. 

AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) - Prosecutors are seeking the death penalty in two separate Georgia criminal cases. One involves the killing of a Gwinnett County police officer and another is over the death of a 4-year-old girl in Hall County . Kevin Andrews is charged in the death of 25-year-old Gwinnett County Police Officer Pradeep Tamang, who was shot and killed while investigating a credit card fraud case. Authorities said Andrews had an outstanding warrant and shot at officers without warning. Another officer, David Reed, was seriously injured.

Florida executes man who killed Fort Pierce police officer during 1991 traffic stop Moments before receiving a lethal injection, Billy Kearse asked for forgiveness from the family of Danny Parrish, whose widow said she found peace after a "long, long 35 years.” A man convicted of fatally shooting a police officer with his own service weapon during a traffic stop was executed Tuesday evening, becoming the third person put to death by Florida this year after a record 19 executions in 2025.

Federal prosecutors will seek capital punishment for the kidnapping, carjacking and killing of Florence County Paramedic Phonesia Machado-Fore FLORENCE, S.C. — Federal prosecutors will seek the death penalty against a South Carolina man charged in the 2024 kidnapping, carjacking and killing of a Florence County paramedic, according to a statement from the Department of Justice. The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of South Carolina filed a notice of intent to seek capital punishment against Jaremy Alexander Smith, 35, of Marion. A federal grand jury returned a superseding indictment on Feb. 24.

A man who confessed to fatally shooting Fort Pierce Police Officer Danny Parrish with his own service weapon during a 1991 traffic stop is scheduled to be executed starting at 6 p.m. March 3, barring a last-minute stay. Billy L. Kearse, 53, will be the third person put to death by the state this year, just one week after the execution of Melvin Trotter, who was convicted of first-degree murder and sentenced to death for strangling and stabbing Virgie Langford in Palmetto in 1986. The Florida Supreme Court on Feb. 12 denied a motion for a stay of execution and a motion for an extension due to the fading health and death of the father of Kearse's attorney. Attorneys for Kearse have filed a motion with the U.S. Supreme Court to stop the execution, citing violations of the Sixth, Eighth and 14th Amendments of the United States Constitution.

PHOENIX — Arizona lawmakers advanced proposals on Feb. 19, 2026, that would expand execution options for death row inmates to include firing squads and lethal gas, amid ongoing challenges with lethal injection and concerns over carrying out capital sentences. The measures, sponsored by Sen. Kevin Payne, R-Peoria, cleared a Senate committee with a party-line vote. They aim to give condemned inmates more choices while mandating firing squad executions for those convicted of murdering law enforcement officers. Senate Concurrent Resolution 1049 proposes a constitutional amendment that Arizona voters would decide in November. If approved, it would allow defendants sentenced to death to select from three methods: firing squad, lethal injection (intravenous administration of lethal substances) or lethal gas. Lethal injection would remain the default if no choice is made.

EASTLAND, Texas — Cody Pritchard received the death penalty today for the shooting death of Eastland County Deputy David Bosecker back in 2023. According to court documents, the Eastland County Sheriff's Office responded to an emergency call involving a disturbance in Rising Star. When a deputy attempted to enter the property to respond to the call, Cody Pritchard crashed a car into the patrol unit before shooting the deputy. Court documents state that Deputy David Bosecker was pronounced dead on the scene and Pritchard admitted to the crimes and was charged with Capital Murder.

Missouri executes death row inmate who maintains innocence in state trooper's murder 20 years ago  A death row inmate in Missouri was executed Tuesday night after the state's governor denied his clemency petition.  The Missouri Department of Corrections said in a statement that 48-year-old Lance Shockley was executed at the Diagnostic and Correctional Center in Bonne Terre and was pronounced dead at 6:13 p.m. local time. Officials had previously said he would be executed by lethal injection. 

Masanori Aoki, now 34, stabbed two women who were taking a walk in the city of Nakano, then shot two policemen with a hunting rifle A Japanese court has sentenced to death a man who killed four people in a shooting and stabbing attack in 2023, rejecting the defence's argument that he has schizophrenia. Masanori Aoki, now 34, stabbed two women who were taking a walk in the city of Nakano and then shot two policemen - who arrived at the scene after receiving an emergency call - with a hunting rifle. Gun violence is rare in Japan, where strict firearms laws are in place. Even rarer is the shooting of multiple police officers. The last such incident happened more than 30 years ago.

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. — As Missouri prepares to execute Lance Shockley on Oct. 14, Amnesty International and human rights supporters are calling on Gov. Mike Kehoe to halt the execution, citing alleged trial irregularities and the U.S. Supreme Court’s refusal to hear his appeal. Amnesty International USA Deputy Director for Research Justin Mazzola urged the governor Monday to grant clemency, according to a press release. “Amnesty International urgently calls on Missouri Governor Mike Kehoe to act now to stop the scheduled execution of Lance Shockley,” said Mazzola. “We are seeing an outpouring of support for Lance Shockley to live. Last week, petitioners delivered a petition with 31,000 signatures to Governor Kehoe’s office calling on him to stop Shockley’s execution.”

Court documents share new details of deadly Tremonton shooting Prosecutors will pursue the death penalty against the man accused of shooting and killing two Tremonton-Garland police officers and wounding a third sheriff’s deputy and his service dog, according to court documents filed Wednesday that shed new light on the shooting.  Ryan Michael Bate, 32, is now facing 20 separate charges for the shooting that rocked the small, northern Utah community of Tremonton Sunday night — that includes two counts of aggravated murder for the deaths of Tremonton-Garland Police Sgt. Lee Sorensen and officer Eric Estrada.

Palembang. A military court in Palembang, South Sumatra, on Monday sentenced Corporal Second Class Bazarsah to death for fatally shooting three police officers during a raid on an illegal cockfighting operation in Way Kanan, Lampung, earlier this year.  The court also ordered his dismissal from the Indonesian Army. “The court sentences the defendant to the death penalty as the main punishment and dishonorable discharge from military service as an additional punishment,” presiding judge Colonel Fredy Ferdian Isnartanto said while reading the verdict.