Entries by Hayley Bedard

In the January 2026 episode of 12:01: The Death Penalty in Context, DPI Managing Director Anne Holsinger speaks with Aramis Ayala, Executive Director of Fair and Just Prosecution. Ms. Ayala made history in 2016 as Florida’s first Black state attorney and later became the first Black woman in Florida to be nominated for state attorney general by a major party. In the podcast, she discusses her decision to not seek the death penalty, the reaction to her decision, and the evolving role of…

For updates on the September 30, 2026 failed execution attempt of Christa Pike, please see our full story here. Christa Pike, the only woman on Tennessee’s death row, has filed a lawsuit in the Davidson County Chancery Court challenging the state’s lethal injection protocol, asserting it violates her constitutional rights and conflicts with her religious beliefs. The state’s new execution protocol relies solely on pentobarbital to induce respiratory and cardiac arrest, rather than the former…

An autopsy of Richard Djerf, who was executed in Arizona in October 2025, has renewed concerns about the state’s lethal injection execution protocol and the state’s efforts to address longstanding execution-related concerns. Mr. Djerf was convicted for the September 1993 murders of four members of the Luna family in Phoenix. The autopsy, conducted by Pinal County Chief Medical Examiner Dr. John Hu, established for the first time that medical personnel encountered significant difficulty…

On January 17, 2006, California executed Clarence Ray Allen — the last person put to death by the state. Two decades later, California’s death row population has fallen to 580 prisoners, down from its peak near 750 in the mid-2010s. In the time since Mr. Allen’s execution, the death penalty in California has seen sustained scrutiny as concerns with racial discrimination, innocence, and costs continue to grow. Governor Gavin Newsom has placed a moratorium on executions, death-sentenced prisoners…

The Death Penalty Information Center’s new report, The Death Penalty in 2025: Year End Report, released on December 15, generated widespread national and international coverage. Despite an uptick in executions this year, media coverage focused largely on the report’s core findings: new death sentences remain near historic lows, juries are increasingly reluctant to impose death sentences, and the death penalty continues its steady decline across most of the country. Major news organizations…

The U.S Supreme Court announced on December 15, 2025, that it will hear the appeal of Mississippi death-sentenced prisoner Terry Pitchford, who has argued his constitutional rights were violated because of race discrimination during jury selection. Mr. Pitchford was sentenced to death nearly two decades ago for his role in the shooting death of Reuben Britt. At the center of Mr. Pitchford’s case is Doug Evans, a Mississippi district attorney whose conduct has drawn repeated scrutiny. DA Evans…

Hamilton County Prosecutor Connie Pillich formally dismissed the case against Elwood Jones on December 12, 2025, ending a nearly 30-year saga that saw Mr. Jones spend 27 years on Ohio’s death row for a murder he did not commit. “I did not take this extraordinary step lightly,” said Prosecutor Pillich. “But after reviewing the evidence, I am not convinced that Mr. Jones killed Rhoda Nathan.” Mr. Jones was convicted and sentenced to death in 1996 for the 1994 murder of Rhoda Nathan. He is the…