DPIC Podcast: Discussions With DPIC
Women and the Death Penalty, with Professor Mary Atwell
Current List of Women on Death Row
As of March 11, 2024, the Cornell Center on the Death Penalty Worldwide reports there are 52 women on death rows across the United States.
State | County | Name | Race |
---|---|---|---|
AL | Franklin | Scott, Christie Michelle | W |
AL | Houston | Blackmon, Patricia | B |
AL | Houston | Gobble, Tierra Capri | W |
AL | Mobile | Keaton, Heather | B |
AL | Russell | Graham, Lisa | W |
AZ | Maricopa | Andriano, Wendi | W |
AZ | Pima | Forde, Shawna | W |
AZ | Maricopa | Allen, Sammantha | W |
CA | Alameda | Michaud, Michelle | W |
CA | Los Angeles | Martin, Valerie | W |
CA | Los Angeles | McDermott, Maureen | W |
CA | Los Angeles | Rodriguez, Angelina | L |
CA | Los Angeles | Thompson, Catherine | B |
CA | Los Angeles | Williams, Manling | A |
CA | Modoc | Rhoades, Cherie | N |
CA | Orange | Alfaro, Maria | L |
CA | Orange | DeLeon, Skylar Sophia^ | W |
CA | Orange | Nelson, Tanya | A |
CA | Riverside | Hann, Jessica Marie^^ | W |
CA | Riverside | Hunter, Lorraine Alison | B |
CA | Riverside | Magaña, Belinda | L |
CA | Riverside | Rottiers, Brooke | W |
CA | Riverside | Sarinana, Cathy | W |
CA | Riverside | Snyder, Janeen | W |
CA | San Bernardino | Coffman, Cynthia | W |
CA | San Diego | Dalton, Kerry | W |
CA | San Diego | Eubanks, Susan | W |
CA | San Diego | Gonzales, Veronica | L |
CA | Ventura | Caro, Socorro | L |
FL | Brevard | Allen, Margaret | B |
FL | Escambia | Brown, Tina | B |
FL | Santa Rosa | Rodgers, Jenna* | W |
GA | Gwinnett | Moss, Tiffany | B |
ID | Ada | Row, Robin | W |
KY | Fayette | Caudill, Virginia | W |
LA | Orleans | Frank, Antoinette | B |
MS | Forrest | Chamberlin, Lisa | W |
NC | Forsyth | Moore, Blanche T. | W |
NC | Wake | Parker, Carlette | B |
OH | Lucas | Vixen, Taci** | W |
OH | Trumbull | Roberts, Donna | W |
OH | Warren | Drain, Victoria*** | W |
OK | Oklahoma | Andrew, Brenda | W |
PA | Washington | Tharp, Michelle Sue | W |
TN | Knox | Pike, Christa | W |
TX | Bowie | Parker, Taylor | W |
TX | Cameron | Lucio, Melissa | L |
TX | Dallas | Routier, Darlie | W |
TX | Harris | Carty, Linda | B |
TX | Harris | Sheppard, Erica | B |
TX | Randall | Holberg, Brittany | W |
TX | Smith | Cargill, Kimberly | W |
To see Professor Streib’s summaries of the cases of the women who were on death row as of December 2012, click here.
^Skylar Sophia DeLeon, a transgender woman, was sentenced under the name Skylar Julius DeLeon and transitioned while on California’s death row.
^^Jessica Marie Hann, a transgender woman, was sentenced under the name Jason Michael Hann and transitioned while on California’s death row.
*Jenna Rodgers, a transgender woman, was sentenced under the name Jeremiah Rodgers and transitioned while on Florida’s death row.
**Taci Vixen, a transgender woman, was sentenced under the name Timothy Hoffner and transitioned while on Ohio’s death row.
***Victoria Drain, a transgender woman, was sentenced under the name Joel Drain and transitioned while on Ohio’s death row.
News & Developments
News
Sep 30, 2024
Rulings for Two Death-Sentenced Prisoners Recognize Devastating Harm Caused by Solitary Confinement
Scientists and other experts are unanimous in their conclusion that indefinite or prolonged solitary confinement causes serious harm, and the United Nations says it amounts to torture — yet most death-sentenced people in America are confined to these extreme conditions of isolation and deprivation for years. As of 2020, a dozen states routinely kept death-sentenced prisoners in single cells for at least twenty-two hours a day with little-to-no human contact. Two recent developments in capital…
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Aug 30, 2024
Articles of Interest: Pittsburgh Post-Gazette Editorial Board Argues that Death Penalty Will Not Bring Justice for Leon Katz
In a new editorial, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette argues that the death penalty is “never the justice that is called for” and achieves “nothing of value except the satisfaction of vengeance.” The Post-Gazette describes the death of 6‑week-old Leon Katz in June as an “almost unfathomable” crime and a “violation of primordial innocence” — but argues that Allegheny County District Attorney Stephen A. Zappala Jr.’s decision to seek the death penalty against Nicole Virzi, Leon’s alleged…
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May 08, 2024
New Cardozo Law Review Article Examines the Events in the Lives of Women on U.S. Death Row
A new article, “Gender Matters: Women on Death Row in the United States,” explores the cases of 48 women who were sentenced to death in the United States between 1990 and 2023. “We believe that women’s capital sentences are best explained by examining the events of their lives within a larger social context, and by analyzing how those experiences — and the women themselves — were treated within the legal system,” said the authors, who include Sandra Babcock (pictured left), a Clinical Professor…
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Apr 16, 2024
Trial Judge Signs Agreed Findings of Fact and Conclusions of Law, Recommending Melissa Lucio’s Conviction and Death Sentence Be Overturned
On April 12, 2024, Judge Arturo Nelson signed an Agreed Findings of Fact and Conclusions of Law submitted by the prosecution and defense stating that Melissa Lucio (pictured) was not given access to favorable information in the prosecution’s possession at the time of trial. The acknowledgement of this constitutional error resulted in Judge Nelson’s recommendation to the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals (TCCA) that Ms. Lucio’s conviction and death sentence be overturned. The ruling marks the…
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Apr 11, 2024
Rare Agreement Between District Attorney and Defense Counsel Acknowledge Prosecutorial Misconduct and Need for New Trial for Melissa Lucio
On April 5, 2024, Cameron County District Attorney Luis Saenz and Innocence Project attorney Vanessa Potkin released a joint statement regarding Melissa Lucio’s case, which has been pending additional review for almost two years. On January 11, 2023, the parties submitted an Agreed Findings of Fact and Conclusions of Law stating that the defense was not given access to favorable information in the prosecution’s possession at trial, an error that they agree should entitle Ms. Lucio to a new…
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