death sentence

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Biden Commutes 37 of 40 Federal Death Row Sentences

President converts them to life terms

(Newser) - President Biden announced Monday that he is commuting the sentences of 37 of the 40 people on federal death row, converting their punishments to life imprisonment mere weeks before President-elect Trump, an outspoken proponent of expanding capital punishment, takes office. The move spares the lives of people convicted in killings,...

Indiana Preps for an Execution After 15-Year Pause

Joseph Corcoran's execution is scheduled for Wednesday

(Newser) - Indiana officials are preparing to execute the state's first death row inmate in 15 years, a man who was convicted a quarter-century ago of killing his brother and three other men, the AP reports. Joseph Corcoran, 49, has been on Indiana's death row since 1999. If he is...

Pressure on Biden to Commute All Federal Death Sentences

Some fear the 40 inmates on federal death row risk hanging under Trump

(Newser) - No president has ever issued a mass commutation of federal death sentences, but that's exactly what advocates are asking of President Biden in his final days in office. Several letters asking Biden to commute the sentences of all 40 people on federal death row to life in prison without...

To Escape Execution, She'll Need to Find $9B

Vietnamese tycoon Truong My Lan loses initial appeal of death sentence, but hope remains

(Newser) - One of Vietnam's richest women, sentenced to death over what the BBC calls "the world's biggest bank fraud," has lost her appeal. But real estate tycoon Truong My Lan, found to have embezzled $12.5 billion from Saigon Commercial Bank, could still avoid execution—if she...

After 2-Year Pause, Executions Will Resume in Arizona

State plans to seek execution warrant for Aaron Brian Gunches

(Newser) - Executions will resume in Arizona following a two-year pause, the state's top prosecutor says. Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes said in a statement sent to the Associated Press on Wednesday that she will soon seek an execution warrant for Aaron Brian Gunches, who is on death row after being...

Alabama Prisoner Curses, Gives Middle Finger Before Execution

Carey Dale Grayson became the 3rd person put to death in the US using nitrogen gas

(Newser) - An Alabama man convicted in the 1994 killing of a hitchhiker cursed at the prison warden and made obscene gestures with his hands shortly before he was put to death Thursday evening in the nation's third execution using nitrogen gas, the AP reports. Carey Dale Grayson, 50, was executed...

Woman Suspected of Killing 14 to Be Put to Death

Thai woman's alleged victims include friends, police officers, boyfriend

(Newser) - A woman suspected of being among Thailand's "worst serial killers" was sentenced to death Wednesday in the first of 14 murder trials, CBS News reports. Sararat Rangsiwuthaporn, 36, is described as a gambling addict who allegedly used "herb capsules" laced with cyanide to fatally poison people who...

Last-Minute Twists Delay Execution in Shaken Baby Case

Robert Roberson's execution was originally scheduled for Thursday night

(Newser) - The controversial execution of a Texas man convicted in a so-called " shaken baby syndrome " murder case was delayed with 90 minutes to spare before his scheduled lethal injection early Thursday night, though the eventual twists and turns into the case extended late into the evening. Robert Roberson has...

Country's 2nd Nitrogen Gas Execution Goes Forward

Alan Eugene Miller is put to death in Alabama

(Newser) - Alabama used nitrogen gas Thursday to execute a man convicted of killing three people in back-to-back workplace shootings, the second time the method that has generated debate about its humaneness has been used in the country, the AP reports. Alan Eugene Miller, 59, was pronounced dead at 6:38pm local...

Texas Executes Man Who Killed 3-Month-Old Son

Travis Mullis waived his right to appeal death sentence

(Newser) - A Texas man who had waived his right to appeal his death sentence received a lethal injection Tuesday evening for killing his 3-month-old son more than 16 years ago, one of five executions scheduled within a week's time in the US. Travis Mullis, 38, was pronounced dead at 7:...

John Grisham on Man 30 Days From Execution: There Was No Murder
Dozens Beg Texas
Not to Execute 'Innocent' Man
the rundown
Sep 18, 2024 12:00 AM CDT

Dozens Beg Texas Not to Execute 'Innocent' Man

More on the 'shaken baby syndrome' conviction of Robert Roberson

(Newser) - Despite much controversy , Robert Roberson is still scheduled to be executed in Texas on October 17 for the murder of his 2-year-old daughter, Nikki Curtis, in 2002—but support is coalescing around him. Roberson was convicted of killing the toddler via the now-widely-discredited "shaken baby syndrome," but...

Texas Executes Man Who Claimed Intellectual Disability

Arthur Lee Burton killed a woman jogging near her Houston home in 1997

(Newser) - A Texas man who claimed an intellectual disability in a late attempt at a reprieve was executed Wednesday evening for the killing of a woman who was jogging near her Houston home more than 27 years ago, the AP reports. Arthur Lee Burton, 54, received a lethal injection at the...

Texas Executes Prisoner Who Murdered His Dealer's Girlfriend

Ramiro Gonzales' appeal for clemency was denied

(Newser) - Ramiro Gonzales, the Texas death row inmate who once made headlines with his desire to donate a kidney before his death, was executed in the state Wednesday. Gonzales, 41, sexually assaulted and murdered 18-year-old Bridget Townsend, the girlfriend of his drug dealer, in 2001. His attorneys and other supporters had...

Iran Flips Death Sentence for Popular Rapper

Nation's Supreme Court overturns sentence for Toomaj Salehi

(Newser) - Iran's Supreme Court overturned the death sentence of a government critic and a popular hip-hop artist, Toomaj Salehi, who came to fame over his lyrics about the death in police custody of Mahsa Amini in 2022, his lawyer, Amir Raisian, said Saturday. In a post on X, Raisian said...

One of Vietnam's Richest Women Sentenced to Death

Truong My Lan found guilty of embezzling $12.5B from bank she illegally controlled

(Newser) - One of Vietnam's richest women has been sentenced to death after a corruption trial that involved thousands of witnesses and more than 80 co-defendants. Property tycoon Truong My Lan, 67, was found guilty of illegally controlling the Saigon Commercial Bank, bribing officials, and embezzling $12.5 billion, CNN reports....

Texas Inmate's Last Words: I Didn't Do It

Ivan Cantu has long claimed he didn't kill his cousin, cousin's girlfriend

(Newser) - A Texas man who had long claimed his conviction more than 20 years ago was based on false testimony and questionable evidence was executed Wednesday for fatally shooting two people, including his cousin, the AP reports. Ivan Cantu received a lethal injection and was pronounced dead at 6:47pm at...

A New State Considers Controversial Execution Method

Ohio could join Alabama, which was the first to use nitrogen method

(Newser) - Another state could soon join Alabama in using a controversial new execution method. Ohio, where executions have been paused since 2018 due to problems obtaining lethal injection drugs, is considering the use of nitrogen gas executions, USA Today reports. Two Republican state representatives have introduced legislation that would allow death...

Inmate's Spiritual Adviser: Protection Needed for Nitrogen Execution

Nitrogen gas could present a problem in the case of a leak

(Newser) - The spiritual adviser for an Alabama prisoner set to be the first person executed with nitrogen gas has asked the state prison system to provide additional precautions to ensure the safety of bystanders and witnesses at the execution, the AP reports. The Rev. Jeff Hood, who will stand near Kenneth...

US' First Nitrogen Execution Can Go Forward: Judge

Kenneth Eugene Smith's attorneys say they will appeal

(Newser) - Alabama will be allowed to put an inmate to death with nitrogen gas later this month, a federal judge ruled Wednesday, clearing the way for what would be the nation's first execution under a new method the inmate's lawyers criticize as cruel and experimental, the AP reports. US...

UN Has Harsh Words for Iran Over Child's Execution

Country reportedly put a 17-year-old to death on Friday

(Newser) - The UN had harsh words for Iran on Tuesday over the country's decision to execute two young people last Friday. "We deplore the executions," Elizabeth Throssell, a rep for the UN Human Rights Office, said in a statement in reference to the deaths of Hamidreza Azari, 17,...

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