Prison News | Executions & the Death Penalty

• A Georgia death row inmate has asked to be executed by firing squad
  
  (CNN)A convicted murderer in Georgia has asked that he be executed by firing squad, arguing an execution by lethal injection would cause him "excruciating pain" because of the condition of his veins.... [ more ]
  CNN, Saturday, January 11, 2020
  
  
• Former prison supervisor sentenced to two years
  
  According to a Department of Justice release, Khristal Ford, 33, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Marcia A. Crone to 24 months in prison followed by one... [ more ]
  Times Record News, Saturday, January 11, 2020
  
  
• Arkansas Inmate Cites Mental Illness in Death Penalty Appeal
  
  An Arkansas death row inmate convicted of killing a state legislator's daughter was diagnosed with schizophrenia and should not be... [ more ]
  The New York Times, Thursday, January 9, 2020
  
  
• Execution date set for Glynn Co. convicted murderer
  
  FORSYTH, Ga. (WSAV) � Monday the Glynn County Superior Court ordered the execution of convicted murderer Jimmy Fletcher Meders. ... [ more ]
  wsav3, Tuesday, December 31, 2019
  
  
• Serial Killer Phillip Jablonski Dies on California Death Row
  
  SACRAMENTO, CALIF. - A serial killer whose five victims included two wives has died on California's death row, authorities said Monday.... [ more ]
  voanews, Monday, December 30, 2019
  
  
• Rochester man with a history of violence is going to prison
  
  ROCHESTER, Minn. � A violent confrontation that left two police officers injured is sending a Rochester man to prison. Phillip Grant Berg, 33 of Rochester, was sentenced Monday to seven years and 11 months behind bars, with credit for 144 days already served. Berg pleaded guilty to one count of 1st degree burglary for the incident on August 9 and four other felonies and three gross misdemeanor charges were dismissed.... [ more ]
  KIMT3 News, Monday, December 30, 2019
  
  
• Stay Of Execution Granted To Rodney Reed. Brother Says Death Penalty Should Be Abolished
  
  On Friday, November 15, 2019, the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals granted death row inmate Rodney Reed an indefinite stay of execution and has ordered a new trial. Reed�s brother says the case is �a prime example why they should abolish the death penalty.... [ more ]
  Yahoo News, Tuesday, November 19, 2019
  
  
• Rodney Reed granted stay of execution from US court amid celebrity pressure over 1996 murder case
  
  Texas's top criminal appeals court on Friday halted the scheduled execution of inmate Rodney Reed, whose conviction is being questioned by new evidence that his supporters say raises serious doubt about his guilt.... [ more ]
  telegraph.co.uk, Sunday, November 17, 2019
  
  
• California man convicted of torture-murder dies on death row
  
  SAN QUENTIN, Calif. (AP) � A 49-year-old inmate convicted of torturing and burning his victim alive has died on California�s death row.... [ more ]
  poststar.com, Thursday, November 14, 2019
  
  
• USC students' dad gets longest sentence yet in college admissions scandal
  
  Former real estate executive Toby MacFarlane was sentenced to six months in prison on Wednesday in the college admissions scandal, receiving the heaviest sentence imposed in connection with the scheme thus far, according to USA Today.... [ more ]
  The Hill, Thursday, November 14, 2019
  
  
• Georgia inmate executed for 1994 convenience store killing as last-minute DNA test denied
  
  A Georgia inmate sentenced to death for fatally shooting a convenience store clerk during a robbery 25 years ago was executed Wednesday night, authorities say.... [ more ]
  usatoday.com, Thursday, November 14, 2019
  
  
• Inmate released under new justice reform law accused of murder
  
  Joel Francisco was 14 years into a life sentence when he became one of the first prisoners released under President Donald Trump's criminal justice reform law. Now he's accused of murder.... [ more ]
  hazard-herald.com, Saturday, November 9, 2019
  
  
• The outcry to stop the execution of Texas death row inmate Rodney Reed is growing. The support has 'bolstered him,' his attorney says
  
  Bastrop, Texas (CNN)The outcry is growing from an army of supporters, including celebrities, clergy and state lawmakers, trying to stop the execution of Texas death row inmate Rodney Reed, who is set to die in less than two weeks. ... [ more ]
  edition.cnn.com, Friday, November 8, 2019
  
  
• El Paso death row inmate Justen Grant Hall executed for woman's strangulation in 2002
  
  El Paso convicted killer Justen Grant Hall was executed Wednesday evening for the strangulation murder of a woman in 2002. Hall, 38, had been on Texas' death row since 2005 when he was sentenced to die after being convicted of capital murder in the strangulation of 29-year-old Melanie Ruth Billhartz in 2002.... [ more ]
  elpasotimes.com, Wednesday, November 6, 2019
  
  
• Rodney Reed set to be executed in Texas this month
  
  (CNN) - Less than a month before Rodney Reed is set to be executed in Texas, a former prison inmate claims someone else confessed to the murder that sent Reed to prison.... [ more ]
  koamnewsnow.com, Saturday, November 2, 2019
  
  
• Date, time announced for execution of inmate Charles Rhines
  
  SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (AP) - The South Dakota Department of Corrections has announced the date and time for the execution of inmate Charles Rhines. Charles Rhines is scheduled to be executed at Monday, November 4, 2019 at 1:30 p.m.... [ more ]
  ksfy.com, Friday, November 1, 2019
  
  
• New execution date set for Georgia inmate
  
  ATLANTA � Georgia officials set a new execution date Friday for a death row inmate two days after he was granted a temporary reprieve because of a legal technicality.... [ more ]
  startribune.com, Friday, November 1, 2019
  
  
• Doctor gets 40 years in opioid prescription case. He gave drugs to every patient, feds say
  
  A Virginia doctor who federal prosecutors said illegally prescribed more than half a million opioid pills in two years was sentenced to 40 years in prison.... [ more ]
  US Today, Friday, October 4, 2019
  
  
• Amateur basketball coach gets 3 months prison in NCAA case
  
  NEW YORK (AP) � An amateur coach was sentenced to three months in prison Friday for his role in a college basketball bribery scheme that sought to steer impressionable NBA-bound athletes toward fledgling money managers and handlers.... [ more ]
  USA Today, Friday, October 4, 2019
  
  
• Ex-Dallas Police Officer Amber Guyger Sentenced to 10 Years for Murdering Botham Jean in His Own Apartment
  
  Former Dallas police officer Amber Guyger has been sentenced to 10 years in prison for the murder of her former neighbor Botham Jean in September of last year.... [ more ]
  time.com, Wednesday, October 2, 2019
  
  
• Dallas Cop Gets 10 Years in Prison for Killing Her Neighbor
  
  DALLAS, TEXAS - A white Dallas police officer was sentenced Wednesday to 10 years in prison for killing her black neighbor in his apartment, which she said she mistook for her own unit one floor below.... [ more ]
  voanews.com, Wednesday, October 2, 2019
  
  
• Man gets four months in prison for threatening to kill Boston Globe employees
  
  BOSTON (Reuters) - A California man was sentenced on Wednesday to four months in prison for threatening to kill employees at the Boston Globe in retaliation for its role coordinating an editorial response by hundreds of newspapers to U.S. President Donald Trump�s attacks on the media.... [ more ]
  REUTERS, Wednesday, October 2, 2019
  
  
• Missouri executes killer despite concern about painful death
  
  ST. LOUIS (AP) � A Missouri inmate was executed Tuesday for killing a man in 1996 in a string of violence that included several other crimes, despite concerns that the prisoner's rare medical condition would cause a gruesome lethal injection.... [ more ]
  Times Daily, Monday, September 30, 2019
  
  
• U.S. death row prisoner files for stay of execution
  
  Attorneys for a federal death row inmate scheduled for execution Dec. 13 have asked the court to stay his execution.... [ more ]
  tribstar.com, Tuesday, August 27, 2019
  
  
• Florida man gets 15 months for threatening to kill Bernie Sanders
  
  (Reuters) - A Florida man was sentenced to 15 months in prison on Friday for threatening to behead U.S. Senator and Democratic presidential hopeful Bernie Sanders, federal prosecutors said. ... [ more ]
  reuters.com, Saturday, August 24, 2019
  
  
• Serial killer�s execution on hold as US Supreme Court considers final appeals
  
  Gary Ray Bowles killed 6 men from Daytona Beach to the Washington D.C. area and scheduled to die by lethal injection at 6 p.m. at Florida State Prison.... [ more ]
  news-journalonline.com, Wednesday, August 21, 2019
  
  
• A man walked into a sheriff's office and said he killed his daughter that day, police say
  
  A North Carolina man faces murder charges after he walked into a sheriff�s office and confessed to killing his teenage daughter, the Union County Sheriff�s Office said on Facebook.... [ more ]
  USA TODAY, Tuesday, August 20, 2019
  
  
• Serial killer of gay men Gary Ray Bowles started spree in Daytona, set for Thursday execution
  
  Gary Ray Bowles started his eight-month murderous binge in Daytona Beach by killing John Hardy Roberts on March 14, 1994, inside the victim�s beachside home and now he is set to be the 99th death row inmate executed in Florida in modern times.... [ more ]
  news-journalonline.com, Saturday, August 17, 2019
  
  
• Rapist cries on electric chair as he is executed over murder of teenage girl and mother
  
  A man convicted of the murders of a mother and her 15-year-old daughter has been executed in Tennessee marking the third time the state has used the electric chair in less than a year.... [ more ]
  independent.co.uk, Friday, August 16, 2019
  
  
• Tennessee executes Stephen Michael West by electric chair
  
  NASHVILLE, Tenn. � Tennessee executed death row inmate Stephen Michael West on Thursday night, marking the third time the state has used the electric chair in less than a year.... [ more ]
  USA Today, Thursday, August 15, 2019