2026 US executions and death penalty debate

Indiana Governor Mike Braun rejected appeals to commute Weisheit's death sentence to life in prison.

Governor Mike Braun said that reviews of Weisheit's case in state and federal courts never resulted in an overturned sentence.

Alabama Governor Kay Ivey rejected clemency requests for Michael Taylor, clearing the way for his scheduled execution.

Approximately 73 percent of Americans acknowledged there was a risk of executing an innocent person, according to the Pew Research Center poll.

Twenty-three states have banned the death penalty outright.

Newsom will be replaced by former US Secretary of Health and Human Services Xavier Becerra on January 4.

Prosecutors said Weisheit bound and gagged Caleb, placed railroad flares in his clothing and near his body, then set fire to the home and fled out of state.

Inspections found that Pharmaneek stored drugs in unlabeled bottles, found expired drugs on active pharmacy shelves, and failed to keep consistent temperature logs for pharmacy storage areas.

Indiana Attorney General Todd Rokita said the state was delivering long-awaited justice for victims Alyssa Lynch, age 8, and her brother Caleb, age 5.

Within less than two weeks after the botched execution, Pike was walking and talking and back in prison at the Debra K. Johnson Rehabilitation Center in Nashville, Tennessee.

Tennessee Governor Bill Lee suspended executions for the rest of 2026.

Dr. Mark Fowler oversaw Christa Pike's botched execution and said he still believes she deserves to die.

The Tennessee governor organised an independent review of the failed execution and postponed the state's other lethal injection scheduled for this year.

Christa Pike and her boyfriend tortured, stabbed and beat a 19-year-old classmate to death in 1995.

Governor Bill Lee said he suspects Pike's sentence will be the same as before unless otherwise determined by the courts.

Governor Bill Lee told reporters he suspects her sentence will be the same as before unless otherwise determined by the courts.

Tennessee's governor organised an independent review of the failed execution and postponed the state's other lethal injection scheduled for this year.

Pike's legal team has asked a federal judge to allow her to interact with other prisoners.

Pike said she still struggles to speak after the failed execution.

Shipp was spared the death penalty because he was not legally an adult when the crime was committed.

Christa Pike released her first public statement since her botched execution in September.

Tadaryl Shipp remains in prison.

In 2022, more than a third of executions across the US were botched or highly problematic according to the Death Penalty Information Center.

Christa Pike was 18 years old when she committed the murder of Colleen Slemmer.

The IV team attempted to find a vein using ultrasound technology.

Tennessee's IV team struggled for almost an hour to set up an IV line into Pike's arms during the failed execution on 30 September.

At 7.05pm, about half an hour into the procedure, a member of the IV team asked for a 24-gauge needle and moved it around a lot, and Christa continued to grimace.

Christa Pike is the only prisoner in modern times to survive a full dose of a lethal injection drug.

Tony Carruthers survived an execution attempt in Tennessee on 21 May after the team failed to find a vein for more than 30 minutes.

Christa Pike's execution was called off, and she was returned to prison after spending 10 days in the hospital.

On July 19, 1995, William Hardy was shot twice in the head while working off-duty security outside a hotel in Birmingham.

The key prosecution witness testified that she overheard Johnson confess to the murder while eavesdropping on a three-way phone call.

Johnson's lawyers said the state withheld evidence of the monetary incentive for the witness's testimony.

Kay Ivey has overseen 27 executions during her time as governor.

Alabama governor Kay Ivey commuted Toforest Johnson's death sentence to life in prison without parole.

Kay Ivey said she had concerns there was not enough direct evidence to carry out the death penalty.

Florida carried out 18 executions in 2026 as of Reaves' execution.

Reaves' attorneys argued that jurors who recommended the death penalty were never told that the VA had rated Reaves, an Army veteran, as 100% disabled due to PTSD from his service in the Vietnam War.

Raczkoski was attempting to run away when Reaves shot him four times, and the deputy died from his wounds later that day.

Former Army Sgt. Alonzo Lunsford, who was shot seven times during the attack, praised Trump's decision and said it proves Americans are not barbaric.

Republican Senator Thom Tillis called the idea of livestreaming the execution "beyond disgusting" and compared it to practices of oppressive dictatorships.

The Pentagon on October 5 said Trump had approved a recommendation by Hegseth to have Hasan executed by an Army firing squad.

Christa Pike was convicted and sentenced to death for the 1995 torture and murder of 19-year-old Colleen Slemmer in Knoxville.

Christa Pike was scheduled to be put to death on Sept. 30 after the Supreme Court vacated a last-minute stay.

Tennessee Governor Bill Lee has put a moratorium on executions in the state for at least the rest of the year.

A 55% majority of MAGA Republicans say Hasan's execution should not be livestreamed.

The military has not used a firing squad for an execution since 1945.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth vowed to make the execution public and confirmed it would be livestreamed.

The killings on 5 November 2009 were the deadliest ever non-combat attack on an American military base.

Galligan said Hasan is paralysed from the chest down.

According to Amnesty International, 11 public executions were known to have been carried out in Iran in 2025 and another six in Afghanistan.

Robertson was pronounced dead about 10 minutes after the lethal injection was administered.

Robertson pleaded guilty to first-degree murder for strangling his cellmate, Frank Hart, as Hart was sleeping in 2008.

Robertson declined to give a final statement, responding 'Nah, I'm straight,' when asked for last words.

Some officials have raised concerns about the optics of broadcasting an execution in which a firing squad would shoot a paralyzed man in a wheelchair.

Nidal Hasan opened fire at Fort Hood on November 5, 2009, killing 12 and wounding 32 others.

Vice President JD Vance and House Speaker Mike Johnson have said they would not watch the execution.

Koch said the execution process took about 10 minutes.

Christa Pike was discharged from the hospital on Saturday and returned to prison after the failed execution attempt.

Jesse Guardado, 64, is set to be executed on November 5 for murdering a 74-year-old woman in Walton County in 2004.

Christa Pike was sentenced to death after murdering Colleen Slemmer with her then-boyfriend in 1995.

Christa Pike survived two injections of the drug pentobarbital on 30 September.

Christa Pike was 50 years old at the time of the reporting.

Pete Hegseth called for a public execution of the Fort Hood shooter.

Rachel VanLandingham is a retired Air Force Judge Advocate General.

Pete Hegseth is the Defense Secretary.

The Pentagon announced it would publicly show the December 3 execution of Nidal Hasan.

Trump said he 'absolutely' approved of the livestream plan but had not yet made a final decision as of Tuesday.

The execution would be the first public execution in the US in almost a century.

Pope Leo XIV reiterated the Catholic Church's opposition to the death penalty as inadmissible in a social media post marking World Day Against the Death Penalty.

Hasan's execution would be the first U.S. military execution by firing squad since 1945 and the first U.S. military execution by any method since 1961.

Archbishop Timothy Broglio urged Catholics assigned to the firing squad to request to be excused from participating in the execution of Nidal Malik Hasan.

The U.S. military plans to livestream the execution of Nidal Hasan.

The last U.S. military execution by firing squad was of Eddie Slovik, who was accused of desertion in 1945.

Nidal Hasan is a former army major who killed 13 people during a shooting attack at Fort Hood, Texas, in 2009.

Trump said he will make the decision of whether or not to livestream Hasan's execution.

Hasan killed 13 people and wounded 32 others in the Fort Hood shooting on Nov. 5, 2009.

Julia Wilson is a former Defense Department civilian employee who survived the 2009 Fort Hood shooting.

Nidal Hasan was convicted of killing 13 people in 2009 at Fort Hood in Texas.

Broglio described serving on the firing squad as contrary to the teachings of the church.

Broglio said any Catholic soldier assigned to the U.S. Army firing squad should ask to be excused from that duty.

Christa Pike survived two doses of pentobarbital administered during a lethal injection execution attempt on September 30.

Pike's boyfriend at the time of the murder, Tadaryl Shipp, remains in prison, having been spared the death penalty because he was not yet an adult when the crime was committed.

Pike's legal team has said the pentobarbital probably spread under her skin rather than reaching her bloodstream in a sufficient quantity to kill her.

Christa Pike was taken to hospital and then discharged to prison 10 days after a failed lethal injection attempt.

Lethal injection was first used in Texas in 1982.

Nidal Hasan fatally shot 13 unarmed US soldiers at the Fort Hood military base in Texas in 2009.

President Donald Trump said he had not decided whether the firing squad execution of Nidal Malik Hasan would be livestreamed.

Trump approved the use of an Army firing squad following a recommendation from War Secretary Pete Hegseth.

If carried out, Hasan's execution would be the first conducted by the U.S. military since 1961 and the first military execution by firing squad since 1945.

Hasan was sentenced to death in 2013.

Fordham Law Professor Deborah Denno said firing squad is considered more certain, quicker, and the least inhumane method of execution.

The last US military execution was that of Pvt. John A. Bennett on April 13, 1961, at Fort Leavenworth in Kansas.

Both the US Supreme Court and Tennessee Governor Bill Lee declined to block the execution in the days leading up to it.

Shipp was spared the death penalty because he was not legally an adult when the crime was committed.

A judge ordered the state to preserve all evidence related to the failed injections.

Nidal Malik Hasan was convicted of killing 13 people and wounding 32 others in a shooting at Fort Hood military base in 2009.

Pope Francis first amended official Catholic teaching to declare capital punishment "inadmissible" in all circumstances in 2018.

Vice President JD Vance, a practising Catholic, expressed doubt on Friday about whether the livestream would go ahead.

Christa Pike was shackled to her hospital bed and suffered from pneumonia and significant swelling on her arms, according to her lawyers at a press conference on Wednesday.

Tennessee Assistant Attorney General Will Ayers told a judge at a court hearing on Wednesday that he did not know whether the state intends to try to execute Pike again.

Christa Pike began speaking on Tuesday after regaining consciousness, with her lawyer Randy Spivey reporting her first words were 'Where am I?' and 'Who are you?'.

Vice President JD Vance said he did not know whether the livestream would actually go forward.

President Donald Trump said he has not decided whether to livestream the execution.

A specific unit has been selected to carry out the execution.

States including Tennessee, Idaho, Alabama, Arizona, Texas, and Oklahoma have all recorded at least one botched execution via lethal injection since 2022.

Governor Bill Lee announced a pause on executions in Tennessee and promised a comprehensive, third-party review of the incident.

In May, Tennessee called off the execution of Tony Carruthers after staff struggled for more than 90 minutes to establish a backup IV line.

Trump said he is considering asking the FBI to investigate the death of Nolan Wells.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said the execution of Nidal Hasan by firing squad will be livestreamed next month.

The last known case of a military firing squad in the US was in November 1945.

Christa Pike survived two lethal injections on 30 September and was declared brain dead before waking up and speaking.

Lawyers for Thompson said he is suffering from dementia.

A second Florida execution scheduled for Tuesday, that of James Robertson, is still set to take place.

Vice President JD Vance expressed doubt about whether the livestream would actually happen.

Rep. Austin Scott, R-Ga., said he supports the death sentence but called livestreaming executions something jihadists do.

Alonzo Lunsford, a former Army staff sergeant, was shot seven times by Hasan and plans to attend the execution.

Pike's defense team argued in court on Wednesday for the state to preserve any relevant evidence.

Pike's defense team's request set them on an uncharted legal path over her fate.

Christa Pike survived a botched execution attempt in Tennessee.

Hegseth said people need to understand there are serious consequences for these types of things.

Nidal Hasan fatally shot 13 unarmed US soldiers at Fort Hood in 2009 and injured another 32.

Vance described Hasan's actions as the worst terrorist attack on American soil outside of 9/11.

Christa Pike was sentenced to death after murdering Colleen Slemmer with her then-boyfriend in 1995.

Christa Pike had regained some movement in her arms, which were badly injured during the attempted execution.

Christa Pike's lawyers described her recovery as remarkable and said she was able to walk with assistance and was eating.

Nidal Malik Hasan killed 13 people and wounded more than 30 others at Fort Hood, Texas, in 2009.

The White House has not confirmed the Pentagon's comments about the execution being public and livestreamed.

Ned Price warned that livestreaming the execution would create a martyr and spawn more radicalized zealots.

Hasan opened fire at a medical processing center on the Texas base on 5 November 2009.

The US has not had a public execution since 1936.

Amnesty International said at least 17 public executions are known to have been carried out in 2025, six in Afghanistan and 11 in Iran.

Mills said Hasan's appellate process is not over and that Hasan is likely to seek review of his conviction and sentence in federal court, which would likely stay the execution.

Lawyer John Mills said the decision to livestream the execution is unprecedented in the modern era and on uncertain legal terrain.

Hasan's attorney John Galligan said filing for a habeas petition is a distinct possibility but no final decision has been made.

Tony Carruthers survived a lethal injection attempt in Tennessee in May after prison officials struggled to find a vein.

Christa Pike requested to be hanged before her botched execution.

Witnesses heard Christa Pike complain about a burning pain in her arm during the execution attempt.

According to the Death Penalty Information Center, Pike is the first person to survive a lethal injection in the modern era.

The state said Howard's attorneys had not presented evidence establishing that he met the legal criteria for intellectual disability.

Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson was the only justice to publicly dissent from the Supreme Court's rejection.

The failure of Christa Pike's execution has reignited the debate about capital punishment and its use in the United States.

Christa Pike was sentenced to death after murdering Colleen Slemmer in 1995.

Christa Pike was 50 years old.

Pike's first words after regaining consciousness were 'Where am I and who are you?'

Life support was scheduled to be withdrawn the day Christa Pike woke up.

Pike's legal team is calling on Governor Bill Lee to downgrade Pike's punishment to life in prison without parole.

Christa Pike is a prisoner in the state of Tennessee.

Christa Pike's lawyers say the two failed lethal-injection attempts amounted to unconstitutional cruel punishment.

The evidence to be preserved includes drugs, syringes, medical equipment, and recordings.

A Nashville judge ordered Tennessee officials to preserve evidence from Christa Pike's failed execution.

Pike is 50 years old.

Pike is the first person to have survived administration of pentobarbital, according to the Death Penalty Information Center.

Francis had been convicted of murdering a former employer at age 16.

The Supreme Court on March 31, 2025, denied a petition by Hasan to hear an appeal of his conviction.

The shooting occurred on November 5, 2009.

Hasan told a judge during his court-martial that he was motivated in the shooting to defend the leadership of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, the Taliban.

Gary Wayne Sutton was convicted in the murders of Tommy Griffin and Connie Branam in separate trials.

Gov. Bill Lee halted the death penalty across Tennessee for the rest of the year.

Christa Pike was convicted for the torture and murder of 19-year-old Colleen Slemmer in Knoxville in 1995.

Pike's post-conviction appeal centered on ineffective assistance of counsel, arguing her original attorneys failed to adequately present evidence about her mental illness, brain damage and history of severe childhood abuse during sentencing.

Pike was diagnosed with bipolar and post-traumatic stress disorders, according to her attorneys.

Bill Lee ordered an independent review and halted executions in Tennessee for the remainder of the year.

Pike's then-boyfriend Tadaryl Shipp was 17 at the time of the murder and was ineligible for the death penalty.

The US Supreme Court rejected two separate efforts to stop Pike's lethal injection.

Pike's lawyers said she could be heard crying, whimpering, and breathing loudly throughout the procedure.

Pike's lawyers previously warned that her medical history and anatomy, including thrombocytosis and small veins, meant there was a risk she would experience unnecessary pain and suffering during a lethal injection.

Slemmer's mother May Martinez travelled to Nashville for the execution and told local news outlet WJXX that she broke down in tears after finding out it was not successful.

Pike's lawyer Stephen Ferrell said on Sunday that Pike's prognosis was still unclear and may not be known for several days.

Christa Pike is unconscious, intubated, and breathing through a ventilator.

Christa Pike remains hospitalized in critical condition after surviving an execution attempt in Tennessee.

Pike's legal team filed emergency motions to halt the execution in multiple courts before the prison called an ambulance.

Pike would have been the first woman executed in Tennessee in more than 200 years.

Pike told those carrying out the execution, 'My arm feels like it's about to burst open.'

Christa Pike is unconscious, intubated, and on a ventilator at a Nashville-area hospital after a failed execution attempt.