Women

Executions of Women

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In general, both the death sentencing rate and the death row population remain very small for women in comparison to that for men. Actual execution of female offenders is quite rare, with only 576 documented instances as of December 31, 2022, beginning with the first in 1632. These executions constitute about 3.6% of the total of 16,047 confirmed executions in the United States (including the colonies) between 1608 and 2022.

18 death-sentenced women have been executed since 1976. They are:

Date
11/02/1984
Name	Velma Barfield
Age	52
Sex	Female
Race	White
Number, Race, and Sex of Victims	1 White Male
State	North Carolina
Region	South
Method	Lethal Injection
02/03/1998
Name	Karla Tucker
Age	38
Sex	Female
Race	White
Number, Race, and Sex of Victims	1 White Male 1 White Female
State	Texas
Region	South
Method	Lethal Injection
03/30/1998
Name	Judy Buenoano
Age	54
Sex	Female
Race	White
Number, Race, and Sex of Victims	1 White Male
State	Florida
Region	South
Method	Electrocution
02/24/2000
Name	Betty Beets
Age	62
Sex	Female
Race	White
Number, Race, and Sex of Victims	1 White Male
State	Texas
Region	South
Method	Lethal Injection
05/02/2000
Name	Christina Riggs
Age	28
Sex	Female
Race	White
Number, Race, and Sex of Victims	1 White Male 1 White Female
State	Arkansas
Region	South
Method	Lethal Injection
01/11/2001
Name	Wanda Allen
Age	41
Sex	Female
Race	Black
Number, Race, and Sex of Victims	1 Black Female
State	Oklahoma
Region	South
Method	Lethal Injection
05/01/2001
Name	Marilyn Plantz
Age	40
Sex	Female
Race	White
Number, Race, and Sex of Victims	1 White Male
State	Oklahoma
Region	South
Method	Lethal Injection
12/04/2001
Name	Lois Smith
Age	61
Sex	Female
Race	Native American
Number, Race, and Sex of Victims	1 White Female
State	Oklahoma
Region	South
Method	Lethal Injection
05/10/2002
Name	Lynda Block
Age	54
Sex	Female
Race	White
Number, Race, and Sex of Victims	1 White Male
State	Alabama
Region	South
Method	Electrocution
10/09/2002
Name	Aileen Wuornos
Age	46
Sex	Female
Race	White
Number, Race, and Sex of Victims	1 White Male
State	Florida
Region	South
Method	Lethal Injection
09/14/2005
Name	Frances Newton
Age	40
Sex	Female
Race	Black
Number, Race, and Sex of Victims	2 Black Males 1 Black Female
State	Texas
Region	South
Method	Lethal Injection
09/23/2010
Name	Teresa Lewis
Age	41
Sex	Female
Race	White
Number, Race, and Sex of Victims	2 White Males
State	Virginia
Region	South
Method	Lethal Injection
06/26/2013
Name	Kimberly McCarthy
Age	52
Sex	Female
Race	Black
Number, Race, and Sex of Victims	1 White Female
State	Texas
Region	South
Method	Lethal Injection
02/05/2014
Name	Suzanne Basso
Age	59
Sex	Female
Race	White
Number, Race, and Sex of Victims	1 White Male
State	Texas
Region	South
Method	Lethal Injection
09/17/2014
Name	Lisa Coleman
Age	38
Sex	Female
Race	Black
Number, Race, and Sex of Victims	1 Black Male
State	Texas
Region	South
Method	Lethal Injection
09/30/2015
Name	Kelly Gissendaner
Age	47
Sex	Female
Race	White
Number, Race, and Sex of Victims	1 White Male
State	Georgia
Region	South
Method	Lethal Injection
01/13/2021
Name	Lisa Montgomery
Age	52
Sex	Female
Race	White
Number, Race, and Sex of Victims	1 White Female
State	Federal
Region	Federal
Method	Lethal Injection
1/3/2023
Name	Amber McLaughlin+
Age	49
Sex	Female
Race	White
Number, Race, and Sex of Victims	1 White Female
State	Missouri
Region	Midwest
Method	Lethal Injection

Date	Name	Age	Sex	Race	Number, Race, and Sex of Victims	State	Region	Method
11/02/1984	Velma Barfield	52	Female	White	1 White Male	North Carolina	South	Lethal Injection
02/03/1998	Karla Tucker	38	Female	White	1 White Male 1 White Female	Texas	South	Lethal Injection
03/30/1998	Judy Buenoano	54	Female	White	1 White Male	Florida	South	Electrocution
02/24/2000	Betty Beets	62	Female	White	1 White Male	Texas	South	Lethal Injection
05/02/2000	Christina Riggs	28	Female	White	1 White Male 1 White Female	Arkansas	South	Lethal Injection
01/11/2001	Wanda Allen	41	Female	Black	1 Black Female	Oklahoma	South	Lethal Injection
05/01/2001	Marilyn Plantz	40	Female	White	1 White Male	Oklahoma	South	Lethal Injection
12/04/2001	Lois Smith	61	Female	Native American	1 White Female	Oklahoma	South	Lethal Injection
05/10/2002	Lynda Block	54	Female	White	1 White Male	Alabama	South	Electrocution
10/09/2002	Aileen Wuornos	46	Female	White	1 White Male	Florida	South	Lethal Injection
09/14/2005	Frances Newton	40	Female	Black	2 Black Males 1 Black Female	Texas	South	Lethal Injection
09/23/2010	Teresa Lewis	41	Female	White	2 White Males	Virginia	South	Lethal Injection
06/26/2013	Kimberly McCarthy	52	Female	Black	1 White Female	Texas	South	Lethal Injection
02/05/2014	Suzanne Basso	59	Female	White	1 White Male	Texas	South	Lethal Injection
09/17/2014	Lisa Coleman	38	Female	Black	1 Black Male	Texas	South	Lethal Injection
09/30/2015	Kelly Gissendaner	47	Female	White	1 White Male	Georgia	South	Lethal Injection
01/13/2021	Lisa Montgomery	52	Female	White	1 White Female	Federal	Federal	Lethal Injection
1/3/2023	Amber McLaughlin+	49	Female	White	1 White Female	Missouri	Midwest	Lethal Injection

+ tried as a male under the name Scott McLaughlin

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Executions of Women