Executions Overview

Execution Volunteers

Last Updated November 17, 2021

The following is a list of execution “volunteers” — those individuals who waived at least part of their ordinary appeals or who terminated proceedings that would have entitled them to additional process prior to their execution. Since the reinstatement of the death penalty in 1976 through to the date below, at least 150 defendants have been volunteers — approximately ten percent of all executions.

Volunteers have had an outsized impact on executions across the nation. Utah death-row prisoner Gary Gilmore waived his appeal rights and on January 17, 1977 became the first person to be executed in the United States following the Supreme Court’s 1976 ruling in Gregg v. Georgia upholding the constitutionality of capital punishment. Four of the first five prisoners executed after Gregg were volunteers, and volunteers were the first to be executed in 15 states and by the federal government.1 In four states — Connecticut, New Mexico, Oregon, and Pennsylvania — the only prisoners executed have been volunteers.

Mississippi executed David Cox on November 17, 2021, marking the sixth time a state has restarted executions after a pause of between five and 21 years by acceding to the wishes of a volunteer. Exe­cu­tions of vol­un­teers end­ed execution paus­es of 5 years and 6 years in South Dakota, 7 years in Louisiana, 9 years in Kentucky, and more than 20 years in Nebraska.

In 2018, Scott Dozier was permitted to waive his appeals and attempted to force Nevada to put him to death. He would have been the first execution in the state in more than 12 years. However, his execution was halted when a state court barred the Nevada Department of Corrections from using drugs obtained in “bad faith” and “by subterfuge”, and he subsequently hanged himself in prison.


1. Volunteers were the first indi­vid­u­als exe­cut­ed in the states of Connecticut, Delaware, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Maryland, Nevada, New Mexico, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Dakota, Utah, Virginia, and Washington and by the fed­er­al gov­ern­ment.

DefendantYear of ExecutionStateIndication of Volunteer Status from News Article*
David Cox2021MS

“Cox wrote to the chief justice of Mississippi Supreme Court in August 2018 saying he wanted to fire his lawyers, relinquish all appeals and have the state Supreme Court set his execution date. In the ruling Thursday, justices wrote that in November 2018, Cox filed court papers saying ‘I am worthy of death’ and asking to be executed.” (Emily Wagster Pettus, Mississippi sets date for state’s 1st execution since 2012, Associated Press, November 17, 2021)

Justen Hall2019TX“Hall stated he was competent to represent himself … [and] asked courts to waive his appeals and schedule an execution date. ‘I do not like the person I have become, and I need to be put down like the rabid dog that I am,’ he wrote to a trial judge on Oct. 6, 2016.” (Davis Rich, Texas executes Justen Hall for murder of woman in El Paso, Texas Tribune, November 6, 2019.)

Rodney Berget

2018

SD

“Berget sent a letter to Judge Douglas Hoffman in August 2016. It said that he wanted to drop his appeals.” (Liliana Segura, RODNEY BERGET SAYS HE WANTS TO DIE. SOUTH DAKOTA PLANS TO KILL HIM. BUT EXPERTS SAY HIS EXECUTION WOULD VIOLATE THE LAW., The Intercept, October 28, 2018.)

Carey Dean Moore

2018

NE

“‘Yes, I have decided to stop fighting in the Supreme Courts; in fact I stopped this years ago. As to why, that is personal,’ [Moore] wrote in answer to a series of questions.” (Joe Duggan, Nebraska is moving closer to its 1st lethal injection, but timing is up to court, Omaha World-Herald, April 30, 2018.)

Michael Eggers

2018

AL

“In 2016, the inmate said he wished to expedite his execution date and fired his attorneys from the Federal Public Defender’s Office in Montgomery.” (Ivana Hrynkiw, Michael Eggers executed Thursday for slaying of Talladega woman in 2000, AL.com, March 15, 2018.)

Steven Spears

2016

GA

“Other than an automatic appeal that was filed after his conviction, Spears steadfastly refused to let lawyers challenge his sentence. Even at trial, he would not authorize his lawyers to present evidence that might have persuaded the Lumpkin County jury to vote for a life sentence.” (R. Cook, Georgia executes Steven Spears for 2001 murder, Atlanta Journal Constitution, Nov. 16, 2016.)

Barney Fuller

2016

TX

“Barney Fuller Jr., 58, had asked that all his appeals be dropped to expedite his death sentence.” (Associated Press, Texas killer Barney Fuller Jr., who asked to be executed, is put to death, Oct. 6, 2016.)

Daniel Lopez

2015

TX

“Lopez, who also wrote letters to a federal judge and pleaded for his execution to move forward, said last week from death row that a Supreme Court reprieve would be “disappointing.”

Jerry Martin

2013

TX

“A senior district judge granted Martin’s request to waive his right to appeal his conviction in June.” (C. Stark, Man executed for TDCJ officer’s death, The Huntsville Item, Dec. 3, 2013.)

Andrew Lackey

2013

AL

“(Lackey) had previously dropped his appeals and court records show he did nothing recently to try to block the execution from being carried out.”

Robert Gleason

2013

VA

“Gleason already is serving a life sentence for killing another man. He fired his lawyers last month — they were trying to work out a deal to keep him from getting the death penalty — so he could plead guilty to capital murder. He’s vowed not to appeal his sentence if the judge sentences him to death.”

Eric Robert

2012

SD

“He pleaded guilty to Johnson’s slaying and asked to be sentenced to death, telling a judge last October that he would otherwise kill again. He never appealed his sentence and even tried to bypass a mandatory state review in hopes of expediting his death.”

Shannon Johnson

2012

DE

“Ever since Johnson was found guilty in 2008 of the murder of Cameron Hamlin, he has told any attorney, court or jury that would listen to hurry up and put him to death.”

Christopher Johnson

2011

AL

“After he was sentenced to death, he refused to pursue appeals in his case, and filed court papers in May saying he didn’t want anyone to go to court on his behalf.”

Jeffrey Motts

2011

SC

“Motts abandoned all his appeals and volunteered for the death chamber.”

Gerald Bordelon

2010

LA

Jack Trawick

2009

AL

“No legal efforts made to stop his execution.” Asked Circuit Judge to be sentenced to death.

David Martinez

2009

TX

“Martinez won permission from the courts to stop appeals attempting to spare his life”

Marco Allen Chapman

2008

KY

“Resisted all appeals to stop his execution […] fought to fire his attorney to clear the way.”

Michael Rodriguez

2008

TX

David Mark Hill

2008

SC

“Convicted in 1996; asked South Carolina to drop his appeals.” The court approved.

Daryl Holton

2007

TN

Execution was delayed by a 90-day moratorium, but “for the most part, Holton refused to file appeals.”

Elijah Page

2007

SD

“Gave up appeals and asked Judge to be sentenced to death.”

Christopher Newton

2007

OH

“Insisted on the death penalty and made no attempt to appeal […]Newton wanted to die.”

Robert Charles Comer

2007

AZ

“Fought for seven years to drop his appeals and be allowed to die […]fought since 2000 to prove competency.”

Christopher Swift

2007

TX

“Spurned all appeals; according to attorney “Receiving the death penalty is what he wanted form day one.”

David Dawson

2006

MT

In 2004, “Dawson fired his attorneys and asked to die, fighting all appeals on his behalf.” State District Judge Jeffrey Sherlock rejected all appeals noting that Dawson had specifically asked them all to be dropped.

Darrell Ferguson

2006

OH

“He asked for the death penalty and chose not to pursue appeals, which could have delayed his execution for years.”

William Downs

2006

SC

“Downs, who did not pursue any appeals, pleaded guilty to the crimes in 2002. Before he was sentenced to death, Downs told Circuit Judge Casey Manning he deserved to die.”

Rocky Barton

2006

OH

“Barton has been on death row for less than three years […] he is the fifth volunteer to waive his rights to appeal.”

Daryl Mack

2006

NV

“Mack had said in court statements that he’d rather be executed than spend the rest of his life locked up on death row […] he is the 11th condemned prisoner in the state to voluntarily give up available appeals.”

Arthur Hastings Wise

2005

SC

“Wise never disputed his guilt and refused to let witnesses testify for him […] he then dropped his appeals and asked the state to execute him.”

Herman Ashworth

2005

OH

“Ashworth became the fourth death row inmate in Ohio since 1999 to drop his appeals to speed his death sentence […] he refused to try any appeals.”

Kevin Conner

2005

IN

“Connor had wanted no protests, no efforts to save his life, and told Gov. Mitch Daniels that “killing a person is far more honest and humane than imposed repression under the guise of justice in the penal system.”

Alexander Martinez

2005

TX

“As the execution date loomed, Martinez instructed his defense attorney, Houston lawyer, Pat McCann, no to file any appeals to delay his death.”

Michael Ross

2005

CT

“Michael Ross sought death despite having years of appeals still available to him. Though Ross was adamant that he be allowed to give up his appeals, he had to persuade several judges that he was competent to do so.

Mario Centobie

2005

AL

“Puzone, a federal public defender, tried to get a court order blocking the execution. A final appeal was denied Thursday by the Supreme Court. Centobie opposed Puzone’s efforts, saying he was sane but preferred death over life in prison.

Glen Ocha

2005

FL

“Ocha would not let a public defender present evidence to avoid execution. After the state Supreme Court affirmed his conviction in 2002, Ocha filed a motion to drop his appeals and dismiss his lawyers.

James Porter

2005

TX

Porter “spurned appeals and voluntarily went to the Texas death chamber […] Porter never wavered from his desire to die.”

Charles Roache

2004

NC

“After one mandatory appeal, Roache gave up years’ worth of further possible appeals and told the to go ahead and kill him. He said it was to show his remorse and try to make up for his crimes.”

Peter Miniel

2004

TX

“Minel exhausted his appeals in the 1990s. Officials with the Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles said that Miniel had not sought a reprieve.”

David Kevin Hocker

2004

AL

“Hocker, a mentally ill 33-year-old, refused to fight his 1998 capital murder conviction. Hocker’s death marks the first time someone has been executed by the state without Alabama Supreme Court reviewing the case, but Hocker resisted attorneys’ efforts to save his life.

James Hudson

2004

VA

“Hudson never challenged his death sentence and refused to let his lawyers file appeals. Hudson pleaded guilty to capital murder.”

Terry Jess Dennis

2004

NV

‘Dennis was a volunteer, meaning an inmate sentenced to death who refused to try to appeal his case. He told court officials at one hearing: “Death is preferable to another 15-20 years in prison.”

Scott Mink

2004

OH

“After pleading guilty to charges of aggravated murder in 2001, Mink asked a three-judge panel in Montgomery County to sentence him to death.” He later appealed, but the Ohio Supreme Court upheld the death sentence.

Stephen Vrabel

2004

OH

“Vrabel, who confessed to the killings, voluntarily dropped appeals on his two murder convictions to speed his execution […] The Ohio Supreme Court upheld Vrabel’s death sentence by a 4-3 vote.”

John Blackwelder

2004

FL

“After his death sentence was affirmed by the Supreme Court last year, Blackwelder waived his appeals and made no secret of his desire to die.”

Lawrence Colwell Jr.

2004

NV

“Colwell said he wanted no more appeals […] refusing to seek a stay from a federal judge who said he would stop the execution if Cowell asked.”

Ynobe Matthews

2004

TX

“Matthews, who had been on death row since June 2001, waived appeals and asked that his execution be carried out.”

John Clayton Smith

2003

MO

“His push to halt appeals of his sentence dated to at least mid-2001 […] Smith waived his appeals and said he had wanted to die.”

Larry Hayes

2003

TX

“Hayes expedited his execution by waiving his appeals […] Hayes said he did not want to appeal his case because he wanted to atone for his crime.”

Paul Hill

2003

FL

“Since losing his automatic appeals, Hill has not fought his execution, and insisted on death.”

Newton Slawson

2003

FL

“After eight years on death row, Slawson asked to end his legal appeals, telling a judge, “there simply comes a time when death is a release, not a punishment.”

Aileen Wuornos

2002

FL

“Wournos dropped all appeals”

Rigoberto Sanchez-Velasco

2002

FL

“”Velasco, 43, had been declrred competent to make that decision [drop his appeals] and was sentenced to death following a psychiatric evaluation.”

Michael Passaro

2002

SC

“The 40-year old inmate could have stopped his execution any time because he has never appealed his sentence […] Passaro personally appeared before the State Supreme Court, asking them to let him go to his death without a judge ever reviewing the case.”

Earl Alexander Frederick, Sr.

2002

OK

“Fredrick told the Oklahoma Attorney General’s office he wanted to waive appeals to his sentence.”

Lynda Lyon Block

2002

AL

“Block declined to pursue final appeals late Thursday, claiming the courts were corrupt and lacked jurisdiction in her case.”

Daniel Zirkle

2002

VA

“Zirkle did not appeal his sentence […] and asked for the death sentence at both his trials. He also refused to let his attorneys present mitigating evidence.”

James Earl Patterson

2002

VA

“Patterson asked his lawyers not to appeal or request clemency, pleading guilt and asking to be sentenced t death.”

Terry Clark

2001

NM

“Clark, who decided in March to end his appeals, changed his mind more than once about whether he wanted to die. Against the wishes of his lawyers, who argued that he was incompetent and mentally ill, Clark asked a judge to go ahead with his execution.”

James Elledge

2001

WA

“Elledge took no legal steps to prevent his execution and had told his lawyer not to put on a defense during the penalty phase of his trial.”

Timothy McVeigh

2001

FED

McVeigh dropped his remaining appeals.

Clay King Smith

2001

AR

“Smith said he wouldn’t appeal his sentence because it would bring more torment to the families of his five victims. Smith had not filed any appeals with the federal court and did not as Gov. Mike Huckabee for clemency.”

Sebastian Bridges

2001

NV

“Bridges had declined to appeal his death sentences through the courts. No attempt was made to seek a pardon because Bridges did not want to spend the rest of his life in prison.”

Ronald Fluke

2001

OK

“Over the objections of public defenders, the former safety consultant was deemed mentally competent to plead guilty and not fight his death sentence.”

Robert Lee Massie

2001

CA

“Massie, who had spent 21 years seeking to overturn his convictions, formally dropped his appeals last year to protest what he called the snail’s pace of the California death penalty system.”

Gerald Bivins

2001

IN

“Bivins declined to exhaust his appeals, saying he was tired of prison life and frustrated.” The Governor refused to intervene because Bivins had abandoned his appeals.

Thomas Akers

2001

VA

“An appeal filed by his lawyers—over Akers’ objections—was rejected by the US Supreme Court. His lawyers contended that Akers, who is retarded, was suicidal, mentally ill and incompetent.

Floyd Medlock

2001

OK

“Medlock turned himself in and later pleaded guilty to first-degree murder. Medlock did not request a clemency hearing and filed no emergency appeals to try and stop his execution.”

Edward Castro

2000

FL

“Castro confessed to the murder.”

Dan Hauser

2000

FL

“Hauser confessed to the killing and provided prosecutors with gruesome details. Throughout his appeal, Hauser repeatedly asked state officials to carry out his death sentence.”

Pernell Ford

2000

AL

“Ford dropped his appeals and fired his defense attorney LaJuana Davis in 1997. A federal appeals court ruled that Ford was competent to drop his appeals and fire his attorney.”

Christina Riggs

2000

AR

“At her 19998 trial, Ms. Riggs asked jurors to sentence her to death. Initially, Ms. Riggs pursued appeal of her death sentence, but she soon withdrew it.”

James Hampton

2000

MO

“Hampton did not seek clemency from Gov. Mel Carnahan […] refusing for years to appeal his case amid claims that a gunshot wound had affected his judgment.”

Robert Atworth

1999

TX

“Atworth had asked that no appeals be made on his behalf and that he be executed. My Atworth wrote the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals, saying he wanted to waive all appeals.”

Joseph Parsons

1999

UT

After twelve years on death row “Parsons demanded that appeals of his death sentence be dropped.”

Richard Wayne Smith

1999

TX

“Smith dropped all appeals to his conviction for Bay town murder of Karen Birky, allowing the state to execute him instead of waiting to die from advancing hepatitis C.”

Alan Willett

1999

AR

“Willett waived his court appeals and asked that his execution be carried out.”

Gary Heidnick

1999

PA

“Heidnik had declined to pursue any appeals since he was sentenced in 1988. His lawyers pressed appeals in federal court contending that it was illegal to execute him because he was not mentally competent.”

Charles Tuttle

1999

TX

“Tuttle refused to allow his attorneys to file appeals on his behalf.”

Edward Lee Harper

1999

KY

“Harper wanted to be execute rather than face life in prison for the shooting deaths of his parents. He told a judge that he wanted to drop further appeals and fire his court-appointed lawyers.

Aaron Foust

1999

TX

“Foust demanded that no legal appeals be filed on his behalf, clearing the way for his execution.”

Eric Payne

1999

VA

“Payne was apparently one of just two Virginia men in modern times not to fight the death sentences with appeals.”

Alavro Calambro

1999

NV

“Calambro refused to file his own appeal.”

James Rich

1999

NC

“Rich pleaded guilty to stabbing Paul Gwyn at the Eastern Correctional Institution in 1994. Rich fired appeals lawyers and asked to be executed, and represented himself at trial.

Wilford Berry

1999

OH

“Mr. Berry campaigned for the sentence […] because he insisted that the sentence not be appealed.”

Jeremy Sagastegui

1998

WA

“Sagastegui acted as his own lawyer, never presented a defense, never introduced any witnesses on his behalf. He pleaded guilty and waived his right to appeal.” The Supreme Court held that he was competent to waive his rights.

Roderick Abeyta

1998

NV

“Abeyta had written to a judge to say he wanted to be executed. Abeyta chose to proceed with his execution rather than fight his sentence in the courts.”

Stephen Wood

1998

Ok

“Wood chose to waive his remaining appeals. At his competency hearing, Wood told a judge he had long supported the death penalty.”

Arthur Martin Ross

1998

AZ

“Ross had legal options available but didn’t use them, saying he was tired of living on death row and would rather die.”

Michael Long

1998

OK

“Long was executed after waiving his remaining appeals.”

Steven Renfro

1998

TX

“After a jury convicted him of capital murder, he ended his trial by telling jurors he should be put to death. The former laborer asked that no appeals be filed on his behalf.”

Ricky Lee Sanderson

1998

NC

“Sanderson, who went through three sentencing hearings, asked in 1992 that appeals be dropped so his execution could proceed.”

Robert Smith

1998

IN

“Smith turned down a plea for a 50-year sentence, eschewed all appeals and was granted with his wish to die but the Indiana Supreme Court. Smith had dismissed his state-appointed attorneys.”

Lloyd Wayne Hampton

1998

IL

“Hampton turned aside all appeals on his behalf and said he wanted to die rather than spend more time in prison.”

Benjamin Stone

1997

TX

“Refused legal help and refused to have any appeals filed on his behalf” after a 17-month death row stay.

Michael Eugene Elkins

1997

SC

“The condemned inmate waived his court appeals. His lawyer, Kevin Bell, said the once slightly built Elkins had swollen from spleen and liver problems and was uncomfortable in prison.”

Harry Charles Moore

1997

OR

“Moore threatened to sue anyone who tried to stop his execution, even petitioning the Oregon Supreme Court to drop his automatic appeal.”

Scott Dawn Carpenter

1997

OK

“Carpenter pleaded no contest and waived his right to appeal saying that he did not want to spend the rest of his life in prison.”

Richard Brimage Junior

1997

TX

“Brimage wrote to a judge in Texas that he deserved to die, waiving all remaining appeals.”

Doyle Cecil Lucas

1996

SC

“Lucas gave up appeals to hasten his execution and chose to die by injection instead of the electric chair.

Joe Gonzales

1996

TX

“Gonzales waived all appeals as he waited to die, spending less than 10 months on death row.”

Douglas Franklin Wright

1996

OR

“To the lat, Wright refused to appeal the death sentence he was given for killing three homeless men.”

Michael Torrence

1996

SC

“Torrence had petitioned the state Supreme Court since 1994 to let him drop his appeals.”

Daren Lee Bolton

1996

AZ

“The route to the death chamber for Bolton was quicker than most because he shunned some of the appeals that death-row inmates are entitled. Bolton said he would rather die than spend the rest of his life behind bars.”

Robert South

1996

SC

“South halted his appeals, saying he did not want to spend more years in prison.”

James Clark Jr.

1996

DE

“Clark pleaded guilty rather than stand trial for the shooting deaths […] and refused to file appeals, saying repeatedly that he wanted to die as soon as possible.”

Leo Jenkins

1996

TX

“Jenkins, who worked as a mechanic, has ordered all appeals to be stopped and is volunteering for death.”

John Albert Taylor

1996

UT

“Taylor, a condemned child killer who abandoned his appeals became the nation’s first convict in 19 years to be executed by firing squad.”

Esequel Banda

1995

TX

“Banda fired his attorney and refused to file appeals after the Texas Court of Criminal appeals rejected his final plea for a new trial.”

Mickey Wayne Davidson

1995

VA

“Davidson had long waived off legal attempts to prolong his life. He wavered once, three days before a 1993 execution, launching a round of court proceedings.” He finally disavowed any further appeals, saying he deserved to die.

Phillip Lee Ingle

1995

NC

“Mr. Ingle, who had said he wanted to die, stopped his appeals ‘so that the victims’ families can maybe find some peace to put an end to what has happened. A Superior Court judge demoed a request for a stay by Mr. Ingle’s sister.”

Leon Moser

1995

PA

“Moser who had said he wanted to die and refused to appeal his case. The United States Supreme Court reversed a stay by a lower to determine Moser’s competency.”

Keith Zettlemoyer

1995

PA

“Frustrated with prison life, Zattlemoyer had written to prosecutors asking to stop his appeals.”

Thomas Grasso

1995

OK

“The state Court of Criminal Appeals permitted Grasso to waive his rights to appeal his conviction and death sentence.”

Nelson Shelton

1995

DE

“Shelton refused to appeal his sentence, and last month told Superior Court that he wished to waiver the 90-day waiting period for executions.”

George Lott

1994

TX

“Lott refused any attempts to appeal his case or get any stays of executions.”

John Thanos

1994

MD

“Thanos cut short the usually years long appeals process by firing his state public defenders in 1993 […] he has repeatedly scorned efforts by both federal and state public defenders to block his execution.”

Richard Lee Beavers

1994

TX

“Beavers asked that no appeals be filed in his behalf. Beavers said he would rather be put to death than have layers telling lies in court on his behalf.”

Keith Wells

1994

ID

“The United States Supreme Court rejected an appeal filed against Mr. Wells’ wishes, contending that Mr. Wells was incompetent and therefore not capable of deciding whether to appeal his conviction.”

Anthony Cook

1993

TX

“”While on death row, My. Cook said in a letter to authorities, he had a religious conversion and wanted his punishment carried out.”

Michael Durocher

1993

FL

“”Durocher went to his death after the United States Supreme Court on Tuesday rejected two appeals that had been filed over his objections.”

David Mason

1993

CA

“Mason decided not to appeal his sentence to the federal courts after it was upheld by the California Supreme Court. Appeals were filed against Mr. Mason’s wishes by a layer he had dismissed.”

Andrew Chabrol

1993

VA

“Chabrol lost his automatic review before the Virginia Supreme Court and chose not to pursue further appeals.”

John George Brewer

1993

AZ

“Mr. Brewer had admitted to beating and strangling his 23-year old fiancée, who was 22 weeks pregnant. He contended that he deserved to be put to death.”

James Allen Red Dog

1993

DE

“Red Dog refused to appeal his sentence because he contended that doing so would violate his warrior’s code.”

Westley Allan Dodd

1993

WA

“Dodd vowed that he would sue anyone who sought to save him […] Mr. Dodd has waived all appeals and chosen to be die by hanging.”

Steven B. Pennell

1992

DE

“He was sentenced to death after pleading no contest to the multiple murders after representing himself in court.” Pernell waived his right to appeal, and the Supreme Court rejected his wife’s attempt to secure a stay.

Charles Walker

1990

IL

James Smith

1990

TX

“Smith said he wanted to die because ‘do-gooders’ already have robbed him of the time in the next world.”

Ronald Gene Simmons

1990

AR

“Mr. Simmons said he would not appeal the verdict or the sentence and asked that no interfere with its being carried out.”

Thomas Baal

1990

NV

“Baal opposed his parents’ legal efforts to keep him alive, adding that ‘I want to have this execution over with so I can pay my debt.’” The US Supreme Court overturned a stay on the execution based on mental competency.

Leonard Marvin Laws

1990

MO

“Executed for participating in the robbery and shotgun slayings of an elderly couple.”

Jerome Butler*

1990

TX

“Butler refused to appeal his death sentence and said ‘I just want to get it over with.’” Prosecutors and judges were prepared to halt the execution if Butler had asked for a stay.

Gerald Smith

1990

MO

“Gerald Smith asked that his death sentenced be carried out, and had no last words.”

Sean Patrick Flannagan

1989

NV

No information

William Paul Thompson

1989

NV

No information

Arthur Bishop

1988

UT

“Bishop confessed to the murders of five children.”

Elisio Moreno

1987

TX

“Mr. Moreno spurned all efforts by others to try and save his life […]He told the judge who had sentenced him that he wanted no appeals.”

Ramon Hernandez

1987

TX

“Mr. Hernandez did not want to be represented by attorneys because he thought he would lose his right to represent himself.” Mr. Hernandez also turned down an offer of help from State District Judge Peter Peca, who offered him a stay of the execution.

Jeffrey Allen Barney

1986

TX

“Executed for the rape and murder of Ruby Mae Longsworth” volunteered to face his sentence of death.

Carroll Cole

1985

NV

“Cole, who admitted to killing 13 people over the years, has said he will not appeal the execution, and insisted that prolonging his life would be a waste of tax dollars.”

William Vandiver

1985

IN

“Prison officials said there was no indication that Vandiver would reconsider his choice of death in the electric chair instead of years of appeals on death row.”

Charles Rumbaugh

1985

TX

“Rumbaugh ordered his attorneys not to pursue any appeals that could get him a third stay of execution.”

Stephen Peter Morin

1985

TX

“Mr. Morin, once one of the FBI’s 10 most wanted criminals and sentenced to die in two states, had asked lawyers not to appeal.”

Frank Coppola

1982

VA

“Coppola, frustrated by the lengthy appeals process, had repeatedly demanded to be executed ever since he fired his lawyers and elected to withdraw all legal appeals.”

Steven Judy

1981

IN

“Judy, who resisted appeals and went willingly to his death, said he preferred death to life in prison.”

Jesse Bishop

1979

NV

“Bishop opposed appeals to higher courts, charging that stays of execution would only cause him and his family more agony.”

Gary Gilmore

1977

UT

“In November 1976, Gary Gilmore withdrew his rights of appeal from Utah’s legal system and requested that the courts enforce his death sentence as soon as possible.”

*News articles are on file with the Death Penalty Information Center

For more information, see John Blume, Killing the Willing: ‘Volunteers,’ Suicide and Competency, 103 Michigan Law Review 9 (2005).