Death Penalty
The Latest
First nitrogen gas execution in Louisiana takes place amid Catholic opposition
Jessie Hoffman Jr. was pronounced dead at 6:50 p.m. after undergoing nineteen minutes of nitrogen gas. Read more
Florida bishops urge DeSantis to commute death sentence of convicted killer Edward James
Edward James pleaded guilty in 1995 to the killings of Betty Dick and her 8-year-old granddaughter Toni Neuner in Casselberry,... Read more
Catholic bishop warns against ‘culture of death’ as Idaho backs firing squad executions
Executions by firing squad are permitted in five states, but the new law will make Idaho the only state in... Read more
Indian state could introduce the death penalty for religious conversions
Madhya Pradesh’s anti-conversion law had already since 2021 resulted in sentences of 10 years in jail for violators. Read more
Supreme Court overturns Oklahoma death row inmate’s murder conviction, grants new trial
The U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday ordered that condemned Oklahoma death row prisoner Richard Glossip be given a new trial. Read more
Does the death penalty deter crime?
The debate on whether the death penalty deters and lowers rates of crime is a long-simmering one, with both sides... Read more
U.S. bishops criticize Trump’s executive orders on climate, death penalty, immigration
USCCB president Archbishop Timothy Broglio on Wednesday said in a statement that he took issue with some of the orders,... Read more
Trump signs pro-death penalty order, calls capital punishment an ‘essential tool’
Trump in his order describes the death penalty as an “essential tool for deterring and punishing those who would commit... Read more
North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper commutes 15 death sentences, but 121 still on death row
Gov. Roy Cooper announced on Tuesday that he reviewed 89 clemency petitions from death row inmates and granted 15 of... Read more
Biden commutes death row sentences of 37 federal prisoners
The White House announced the clemencies on Monday morning, stating that the president was “commuting the sentences of 37 individuals... Read more
Pope Francis releases World Day of Peace message, renews call to end death penalty
Pope Francis on Thursday released his message for the 58th World Day of Peace, commemorated annually on Jan. 1, with... Read more
U.S. bishops call for Biden to spare federal death row prisoners before leaving office
The U.S. bishops have, as a body, been calling for an end to the federal death penalty since 1980 when... Read more
U.S. Supreme Court declines to hear Missouri convicted murderer’s death row case
The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday declined to hear a Missouri death row prisoner’s appeal on the eve of his... Read more
Missouri bishops urge state to refrain from executing convicted child-killer next month
Police said Christopher Collings confessed to killing Rowan Ford after raping her on Nov. 3, 2007. The murder took place... Read more
Texas Supreme Court allows previously-delayed execution of Robert Roberson to proceed
The Texas House of Representatives Committee on Criminal Jurisprudence last month issued a subpoena for Robert Roberson to appear before... Read more
Catholic group urges Biden to commute federal death sentences before Trump takes office
Catholic Mobilizing Network said in a Nov. 6 statement that the federal death penalty is a “broken” system that “does... Read more
Texas death row inmate, spared execution, barred from testifying to state lawmakers
Robert Roberson was convicted in 2003 of the murder of his infant daughter, Nikki, whom he had brought to a... Read more
Texas man’s execution halted after last-minute subpoena to testify before state Legislature
The Supreme Court of Texas said in a post on X late Thursday that it had “effectively [halted] the execution... Read more
Supreme Court hears oral arguments in consequential Oklahoma death penalty case
This is the second time Richard Glossip’s contentious death sentence has come before the Supreme Court. Read more
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Missouri executes Muslim prisoner Marcellus Williams despite Catholic protest
Citing opposition to the death penalty and doubts about Williams’ guilt, a local and national outcry did not stop the... Read more
