Arkansas has put to death its fourth inmate within a week after a dozen years without a single execution. Kenneth Williams, 38, killed two people after escaping from a maximum-security prison where he was serving life for murdering a cheerleader. His lawyers said he was intellectually disabled, but the US Supreme Court rejected his last … Read more
Arkansas executed another inmate on Thursday, the last in a series of lethal injections that the state has squeezed into a compressed timeline, even as the daughter of one of his victims appealed for clemency. A plan by the conservative southern state to execute eight prisoners in 11 days — before its stock of a … Read more
Arkansas was set to execute another inmate on Thursday, the last in a series of lethal injections that the state has squeezed into a compressed timeline, even as the daughter of one of his victims appealed for clemency. A plan by the conservative southern state to execute eight prisoners in 11 days — before its … Read more
The southern state of Arkansas, rushing to execute several inmates before a lethal drug expires next week, put to death two inmates late Monday, the first double execution in the United States in 17 years. Arkansas Attorney General Leslie Rutledge said that Jack Jones and Marcel Williams, both sentenced to death in the 1990s, were … Read more
The southern US state of Arkansas, rushing to execute several inmates before a lethal drug expires at the end of the month, put to death Monday a prisoner convicted of raping and murdering a woman in 1995, the attorney general said. Jack Jones was executed after the US Supreme Court rejected an 11th-hour appeal from … Read more
Arkansas is rushing to execute a slew of prisoners this week before its cache of lethal drugs run out, despite intense criticism and legal challenges to the southern US state’s plans. What began as a macabre plan to put eight convicted murderers to death in 11 days — a record, had it been carried out … Read more
Arkansas executes Ledell Lee in first death penalty use in 12 years Lee was convicted of murder and recently told the BBC he was innocent Arkansas has executed Ledell Lee in the US state’s first use of the death penalty in 12 years. It came after the US Supreme Court rejected a challenge arguing Arkansas … Read more
The US state of Arkansas carried out its first execution in nearly a decade, the state’s attorney general said, proceeding despite criticism that its controversial plan to execute several prisoners by the end of the month was rushed. Ledell Lee, 51, was put to death late Thursday night after the US Supreme Court rejected eleventh-hour … Read more
Two court rulings dealt a blow to the US state of Arkansas in its attempt to put to death seven inmates within days. The first, on Wednesday evening, halted the execution due the following day of Stacey Johnson so he could make fresh DNA claims to prove his innocence. Moments later, a district judge blocked … Read more
A death row inmate scheduled to be executed in an Arkansas prison on Thursday was granted a stay by the highest court in the US state hours before his lethal injection, his attorneys said. Stacey Johnson is the fourth prisoner in Arkansas to receive a reprieve from execution this month, frustrating state authorities’ efforts to … Read more
A legal battle over the death sentence in the US state of Arkansas has seen skirmishes and retreats, but it’s not over yet. Two death row inmates won reprieves on Monday, but five others still face execution in the coming days. After the US Supreme Court and the Arkansas Supreme Court delivered the stays, Arkansas … Read more
Putting a prisoner to death “stays with you for a long time,” says Ron McAndrew. The former warden of Florida State Prison says his own mental health had begun to deteriorate by the time he left his position in 1998 after taking part in eight executions. Now, McAndrew is fighting against the death penalty. He … Read more
A US federal judge on Saturday blocked a plan by the southern state of Arkansas to execute a series of inmates there over a 10-day period this month, citing a constitutional amendment banning “cruel and unusual punishment.” The state’s Republican governor, Asa Hutchinson, had argued that the executions — which would have been the state’s … Read more
Arkansas’s plans to execute eight prisoners in just 10 days faced new setbacks Friday, after a judge blocked use of a key lethal injection drug and one of the inmates got a top court reprieve. Pulaski County Circuit Court Judge Wendell Griffen issued a temporary restraining order barring authorities in the southern US state from … Read more
The number of executions recorded worldwide in 2016 fell by 37% on the previous year, human rights group Amnesty International says. At least 1,032 people were executed last year, down from 1,634 in 2015, Amnesty said. The fall was largely driven by fewer deaths recorded in Iran and Pakistan. China is believed to have executed … Read more
A US judge on Thursday blocked the planned execution of one of eight prisoners whose deaths were scheduled to take place in Arkansas this month. Federal Judge Price Marshall issued his decision in the case of Jason McGehee, saying his execution should be stayed an additional 30 days for his case to be considered after … Read more
A late-night deal has been reached in North Carolina to repeal a controversial law that limits protections for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people. A key element banned transgender people from using restrooms in accordance with their chosen gender, earning the measure the “bathroom law” tag. The deal came hours before the state was … Read more
Death row inmates in Arkansas filed a lawsuit Tuesday to contest the US state’s plan to end their lives over a shortened period of just 10 days. The state’s Republican Governor Asa Hutchinson has stirred intense controversy since announcing the executions of eight men in 10 days, citing shortages of a drug used in lethal … Read more
An Ohio man claimed he was forced into a hasty window escape when his house caught fire last year. His pacemaker data obtained by police showed otherwise, and he was charged with arson and insurance fraud. In Pennsylvania, authorities dismissed rape charges after data from a woman’s Fitbit contradicted her version of her whereabouts during … Read more
The Arkansas Supreme Court on Thursday rejected an appeal from one of eight inmates facing execution next month, as the state rushes to move forward before the expiration date of one of the drugs used to put them to death. The seven-member panel, by a 4-3 vote, declined to take up the case of Jason … Read more