Crimes Punishable By Death

Those Executed Who Did Not Directly Kill the Victim

Everyone who has been exe­cut­ed since the death penal­ty was rein­stat­ed in 1976 par­tic­i­pat­ed in a crime in which at least one vic­tim died. In most cas­es, the per­son exe­cut­ed direct­ly killed the vic­tim. In a small minor­i­ty of cas­es, the per­son exe­cut­ed ordered or con­tract­ed with anoth­er per­son to car­ry out the mur­der. In anoth­er group of cas­es, the per­son exe­cut­ed par­tic­i­pat­ed in a felony dur­ing which a vic­tim died at the hands of anoth­er par­tic­i­pant in the felony. The defen­dant in such cas­es was typ­i­cal­ly found guilty of felony mur­der” or under the law of par­ties,” and in some states can receive the death penal­ty, despite not hav­ing killed or direct­ed the killing of the vic­tim. The US Supreme Court has restrict­ed the use of the death penal­ty in such cas­es. See Enmund v. Florida and Tison v. Arizona.

We list below the cas­es that we are aware of in which the defen­dant was found guilty of felony mur­der. We sep­a­rate­ly list the cas­es in which the per­son exe­cut­ed con­tract­ed to have the vic­tim killed, though these cas­es do not fit under the class of felony mur­der and are not meant to imply less cul­pa­bil­i­ty. We wel­come any addi­tions or cor­rec­tions to these lists.

See also DPIC’s page Kennedy v. Louisiana regard­ing the Supreme Court deci­sion strik­ing down statutes that allowed the death penal­ty for non-homi­cide crimes against individuals.

Felony Murders

1.
NameDoyle Skillern
StateTX
Race of
Defendant
White
Execution Date1/​16/​1985
Description of CrimeAccomplice in the mur­der of an under­cov­er nar­cotics agent. He was wait­ing in a car near­by when the mur­der hap­pened. The shoot­er is serv­ing a life sen­tence, but eli­gi­ble for parole. (“Killers’ Fates Diverged; Accomplice Is Executed; Triggerman Faces Parole,” Washington Post, January 161985)
2.
NameBeauford White
StateFL
Race of
Defendant
Black
Execution Date8/​18/​1987
Description of CrimeStood guard while two men went into a house look­ing for drugs and then killed six of the house­’s occu­pants. The two shoot­ers were exe­cut­ed as well. (“Florida Prisoner Executed after 10-year Fight for Life,” St. Petersburg Times, August 291987)
3.
NameIgnacio Cuevas
StateTX
Race of
Defendant
Latino
Execution Date5/​23/​1991
Description of CrimeCuevas was serv­ing a 45-year sen­tence for mur­der when he took part in an attempt­ed prison escape. During the course of the attempt, a prison librar­i­an and teacher were shot to death by anoth­er pris­on­er involved in the escape. Cuevas was sen­tenced to death as an accom­plice, under Texas’ law of par­ties.” (Associated Press, Participant in Prison Siege Is Executed in Texas, The New York Times, May 231991.)
4.
NameG.W. Green
StateTX
Race of
Defendant
White
Execution Date11/​12/​1991
Description of CrimeParticipated in a rob­bery, where one of his accom­plices shot the pro­ba­tion offi­cer who owned the home. The shoot­er was exe­cut­ed on 9/​10/​87 and anoth­er accom­plice is serv­ing a life sen­tence. (“15 Years After Crime, Texas Inmate Is Executed,” New York Times, November 131991)
5.
NameWilliam Andrews
StateUT
Race of
Defendant
Black
Execution Date7/​30/​1992
Description of CrimeParticipated in a rob­bery and tor­ture, but his accom­plice mur­dered the vic­tims after he left. The shoot­er was exe­cut­ed as well. (“Utah Execution Hinges on Issue of Racial Bias,” New York Times, July 191992)
6.
NameCarlos Santana
StateTX
Race of
Defendant
Latino
Execution Date4/​23/​1993
Description of CrimeParticipated in a rob­bery. During the rob­bery his accom­plice mur­dered a secu­ri­ty guard. His accom­plice was exe­cut­ed on December 8, 1998. (Texas Department of Criminal Justice)
7.
NameJessie Gutierrez
StateTX
Race of
Defendant
Latino
Execution Date9/​17/​1994
Description of CrimeParticipated in a rob­bery with his broth­er, Jose Gutierrez, who killed the vic­tim. Jessie was appar­ent­ly present dur­ing the mur­der and even bran­dished a gun while con­tin­u­ing with the rob­bery. Jose was also exe­cut­ed (in 1999). (Texas Attorney General press release, Nov. 171999)
8.
NameGregory Resnover
StateIN
Race of
Defendant
Black
Execution Date12/​8/​1994
Description of CrimeA police offi­cer was killed when try­ing to arrest Resnover and Tommie J. Smith. Smith and Resnover both fired shots at the police, but Smith was con­vict­ed as the one who fired the fatal shoot. Smith was exe­cut­ed on 7/​18/​1996. (“Capital Punishment in Indiana,” Indy Star, June 152007)
9.
NameSteven Hatch
StateOK
Race of
Defendant
White
Execution Date8/​9/​1996
Description of CrimeSteven Hatch with his co-defen­dant Glenn Ake par­tic­i­pat­ed in a home inva­sion. After abus­ing the fam­i­ly for sev­er­al hours, Hatch went out to the car while Ake killed the par­ents. Ake is serv­ing a life sen­tence. (“Oklahoma Justice: Should Crime Partner Get Death Penalty,” Christian Science Monitor, August 71996)
10.
NameDale Bishop
StateMS
Race of
Defendant
White
Execution Date7/​23/​2008
Description of CrimeBishop and one oth­er indi­vid­ual were tried for a 1998 blud­geon­ing death. Bishop acknowl­edged his par­tic­i­pa­tion in the attack, but his code­fen­dant, Jessie Johnson, admit­ted to strik­ing the lethal blow. Johnson was tried sep­a­rate­ly and received a life sen­tence with­out the pos­si­bil­i­ty of parole. (Staff Report, Mississippi exe­cut­ed con­demned inmate Bishop, Picayune Item, July 242008.)
11.
NameMichael Rodriguez
StateTX
Race of
Defendant
Latino
Execution Date8/​14/​2008
Description of CrimeRodriguez was one of the Texas 7,” a group of men who escaped from a max­i­mum-secu­ri­ty Texas prison on December 13, 2000. After escap­ing, the men robbed a sport­ing goods store, they were con­front­ed by police offi­cer Aubrey Hawkins. Hawkins was killed in a shootout, but Rodriguez was not respon­si­ble for shoot­ing Hawkins. Rodriguez’s father left a truck at a local store for the men to use. (Michael Graczyk, I’ve done hor­ri­ble things’: 1st Texas 7’ escapee exe­cut­ed, Associated Press, August 142008.)
12.
NameDennis Skillicorn
StateMO
Race of
Defendant
White
Execution Date5/​20/​2009
Description of CrimeSkillicorn and co-defen­dants Allen Nicklasson and Tim DeGraffenreid kid­napped Richard Drummond, who had stopped to help the three with their bro­ken down car. While Skillicorn and Graffenreid wait­ed in the car, Nicklasson led Drummond a 1/​4 mile away and shot the vic­tim. (“Missouri is about to exe­cute Dennis Skillicorn. The state’s death penal­ty may not out­live him very long.,” Kansas City Pitch, May 122009)
13.
NameRobert Thompson
StateTX
Race of
Defendant
Black
Execution Date11/​19/​2009
Description of CrimeThompson and co-defen­dant Sammy Butler entered a Seven Evenings con­ve­nience store in Houston with intent to rob. Thompson shot one clerk who sur­vived the attack. On the way out, anoth­er clerk came out fir­ing shots at the vehi­cle. Butler shot and killed that clerk. Butler was giv­en a life sen­tence. The Texas Board of Pardon and Paroles rec­om­mend­ed clemen­cy for Thompson, which Texas Governor Rick Perry reject­ed. (“Killer exe­cut­ed after Perry rejects pan­el’s advice,” Houston Chronicle, November 202009)
14.
NameSteven Woods
StateTX
Race of
Defendant
White
Execution Date9/​13/​2011
Description of CrimeWoods was sen­tenced and exe­cut­ed for the 2001 mur­der of two indi­vid­u­als in Denton County. Woods main­tained his inno­cence, claim­ing that despite being present at the crime scene, he did not pull the trig­ger or kill the vic­tims. (Michael Graczyk, Death Row Inmate Maintains Innocence During Execution, NBCDFW, September 142011.)
15.
NameCleve Foster
StateTX
Race of
Defendant
White
Execution Date9/​25/​2012
Description of CrimeFoster was con­vict­ed under the Texas law of par­ties” for his par­tic­i­pa­tion in the 2002 mur­der of Nyaneur Pal in Fort Worth, Texas. Foster alleged that his code­fen­dant, who con­fessed to the mur­der and died in prison of can­cer, killed the vic­tim passed out. (Corrie MacLaggan and Terry Baynes, Texas puts to death man who received three stays of exe­cu­tion, Reuters, September 252012.)
16.
NameWilliam Van Poyck
StateFL
Race of
Defendant
White
Execution Date6/​12/​2013
Description of CrimeVan Poyck and Frank Valdes were con­vict­ed and sen­tenced to death for the 1987 shoot­ing death of a cor­rec­tion­al offi­cer dur­ing an escape attempt. Valdes was beat­en to death by cor­rec­tion­al offi­cers in 1999. After his death, his wife came for­ward with infor­ma­tion impli­cat­ing Valdes as the shoot­er, not Van Poyck. Van Poyck main­tained he did not shoot the vic­tim. (Crimesider Staff, William Van Poyck Execution: Florida man due to be exe­cut­ed Wednesday for mur­der of prison guard, CBS News, June 112013.)
17.
NameMichael Lee Wilson
StateOK
Race of
Defendant
Black
Execution Date1/​9/​2014
Description of CrimeWilson was con­vict­ed for plan­ning and tak­ing part in the 1995 mur­der of a cowork­er, along with three code­fen­dants. Video evi­dence showed that while Wilson’s code­fen­dants beat the vic­tim, he was behind the counter serv­ing cus­tomers who entered the store and try­ing to remove the safe from under the counter. (Heide Brandes, Oklahoma exe­cutes man who killed store man­ag­er in rob­bery, Reuters, January 92014.)
18.
NameRay Jasper
StateTX
Race of
Defendant
Black
Execution Date3/​19/​2014
Description of CrimeJasper and a code­fen­dant par­tic­i­pat­ed in the 2000 mur­der and rob­bery of a San Antonio, Texas record­ing stu­dio own­er. Jasper admit­ted he slashed the victim’s throat, but alleged his code­fen­dant deliv­ered the fatal stab wounds. (KENS 5 Staff, Ray Jasper exe­cut­ed for 1998 mur­der of San Antonio busi­ness own­er, KENS5, March 192014.)
19.
NameDonald Newbury
StateTX
Race of
Defendant
White
Execution Date2/​4/​2015
Description of CrimeNewbury was one of the Texas 7,” a group of men who escaped from a max­i­mum-secu­ri­ty Texas prison on December 13, 2000. After escap­ing, the men robbed a sport­ing goods store, they were con­front­ed by police offi­cer Aubrey Hawkins. Hawkins was killed in a shootout and Newbury, who claimed he did not shoot at Hawkins, was con­vict­ed, and sen­tenced to death under the Texas law of par­ties.” (Associated Press, Donald Newbury of infa­mous Texas 7’ gang faces exe­cu­tion Wednesday, The Guardian, February 4, 2025; Jason Whitely, Texas 7’ fugi­tive killer Donald Newbury put to death, USA Today, February 52025.)
20.
NameJoseph Garcia
StateTX
Race of
Defendant
Latino
Execution Date12/​4/​2018
Description of CrimeGarcia was one of the Texas 7,” a group of men who escaped from a max­i­mum-secu­ri­ty Texas prison on December 13, 2000. After escap­ing, the men robbed a sport­ing goods store, where some of the men were con­front­ed by police offi­cer Aubrey Hawkins. Hawkins was killed in a shootout and Garcia, who was not involved in the shootout, was con­vict­ed and sen­tenced to death under the Texas law of par­ties.” (David Martin Davies, Texas Matters: Texas 7’ Escapee Set For Execution, Texas Public Radio, November 30, 2018; Keri Blakinger, Texas 7’ escapee fights death sen­tence as Dec. 4 exe­cu­tion nears, Houston Chronicle, November 232018)
21.
NameNathaniel Woods
StateAL
Race of
Defendant
Black
Execution Date3/​25/​2020
Description of CrimeWoods was charged with the mur­der of three Birmingham police offi­cers who were attempt­ing to exe­cute a war­rant for arrest on a mis­de­meanor charge. Woods did not have a weapon on him, and his accom­plice, Kerry Spencer, con­fessed to shoot­ing and killing all three offi­cers. (Dan Barry and Abby Ellin, He Never Touched the Murder Weapon. Alabama Sentenced Him to Die, The New York Times, December 52021.)
22.
NameBrandon Bernard
StateFederal
Race of
Defendant
Black
Execution Date12/​10/​2020
Description of CrimeBernard was one of five indi­vid­u­als con­vict­ed of the 1999 killing of two youth min­is­ters. Bernard was not the gun­man. Christopher Vialva, con­vict­ed of being the shoot­er, was exe­cut­ed two months ear­li­er. (Christina Carrega, Brandon Bernard exe­cut­ed after Supreme Court denies request for a delay, CNN, December 112020.)
NameStateRace of
Defendant
Execution DateDescription of Crime
1.Doyle SkillernTXWhite1/​16/​1985Accomplice in the mur­der of an under­cov­er nar­cotics agent. He was wait­ing in a car near­by when the mur­der hap­pened. The shoot­er is serv­ing a life sen­tence, but eli­gi­ble for parole. (“Killers’ Fates Diverged; Accomplice Is Executed; Triggerman Faces Parole,” Washington Post, January 161985)
2.Beauford WhiteFLBlack8/​18/​1987Stood guard while two men went into a house look­ing for drugs and then killed six of the house­’s occu­pants. The two shoot­ers were exe­cut­ed as well. (“Florida Prisoner Executed after 10-year Fight for Life,” St. Petersburg Times, August 291987)
3.Ignacio CuevasTXLatino5/​23/​1991Cuevas was serv­ing a 45-year sen­tence for mur­der when he took part in an attempt­ed prison escape. During the course of the attempt, a prison librar­i­an and teacher were shot to death by anoth­er pris­on­er involved in the escape. Cuevas was sen­tenced to death as an accom­plice, under Texas’ law of par­ties.” (Associated Press, Participant in Prison Siege Is Executed in Texas, The New York Times, May 231991.)
4.G.W. GreenTXWhite11/​12/​1991Participated in a rob­bery, where one of his accom­plices shot the pro­ba­tion offi­cer who owned the home. The shoot­er was exe­cut­ed on 9/​10/​87 and anoth­er accom­plice is serv­ing a life sen­tence. (“15 Years After Crime, Texas Inmate Is Executed,” New York Times, November 131991)
5.William AndrewsUTBlack7/​30/​1992Participated in a rob­bery and tor­ture, but his accom­plice mur­dered the vic­tims after he left. The shoot­er was exe­cut­ed as well. (“Utah Execution Hinges on Issue of Racial Bias,” New York Times, July 191992)
6.Carlos SantanaTXLatino4/​23/​1993Participated in a rob­bery. During the rob­bery his accom­plice mur­dered a secu­ri­ty guard. His accom­plice was exe­cut­ed on December 8, 1998. (Texas Department of Criminal Justice)
7.Jessie GutierrezTXLatino9/​17/​1994Participated in a rob­bery with his broth­er, Jose Gutierrez, who killed the vic­tim. Jessie was appar­ent­ly present dur­ing the mur­der and even bran­dished a gun while con­tin­u­ing with the rob­bery. Jose was also exe­cut­ed (in 1999). (Texas Attorney General press release, Nov. 171999)
8.Gregory ResnoverINBlack12/​8/​1994A police offi­cer was killed when try­ing to arrest Resnover and Tommie J. Smith. Smith and Resnover both fired shots at the police, but Smith was con­vict­ed as the one who fired the fatal shoot. Smith was exe­cut­ed on 7/​18/​1996. (“Capital Punishment in Indiana,” Indy Star, June 152007)
9.Steven HatchOKWhite8/​9/​1996Steven Hatch with his co-defen­dant Glenn Ake par­tic­i­pat­ed in a home inva­sion. After abus­ing the fam­i­ly for sev­er­al hours, Hatch went out to the car while Ake killed the par­ents. Ake is serv­ing a life sen­tence. (“Oklahoma Justice: Should Crime Partner Get Death Penalty,” Christian Science Monitor, August 71996)
10.Dale BishopMSWhite7/​23/​2008Bishop and one oth­er indi­vid­ual were tried for a 1998 blud­geon­ing death. Bishop acknowl­edged his par­tic­i­pa­tion in the attack, but his code­fen­dant, Jessie Johnson, admit­ted to strik­ing the lethal blow. Johnson was tried sep­a­rate­ly and received a life sen­tence with­out the pos­si­bil­i­ty of parole. (Staff Report, Mississippi exe­cut­ed con­demned inmate Bishop, Picayune Item, July 242008.)
11.Michael RodriguezTXLatino8/​14/​2008Rodriguez was one of the Texas 7,” a group of men who escaped from a max­i­mum-secu­ri­ty Texas prison on December 13, 2000. After escap­ing, the men robbed a sport­ing goods store, they were con­front­ed by police offi­cer Aubrey Hawkins. Hawkins was killed in a shootout, but Rodriguez was not respon­si­ble for shoot­ing Hawkins. Rodriguez’s father left a truck at a local store for the men to use. (Michael Graczyk, I’ve done hor­ri­ble things’: 1st Texas 7’ escapee exe­cut­ed, Associated Press, August 142008.)
12.Dennis SkillicornMOWhite5/​20/​2009Skillicorn and co-defen­dants Allen Nicklasson and Tim DeGraffenreid kid­napped Richard Drummond, who had stopped to help the three with their bro­ken down car. While Skillicorn and Graffenreid wait­ed in the car, Nicklasson led Drummond a 1/​4 mile away and shot the vic­tim. (“Missouri is about to exe­cute Dennis Skillicorn. The state’s death penal­ty may not out­live him very long.,” Kansas City Pitch, May 122009)
13.Robert ThompsonTXBlack11/​19/​2009Thompson and co-defen­dant Sammy Butler entered a Seven Evenings con­ve­nience store in Houston with intent to rob. Thompson shot one clerk who sur­vived the attack. On the way out, anoth­er clerk came out fir­ing shots at the vehi­cle. Butler shot and killed that clerk. Butler was giv­en a life sen­tence. The Texas Board of Pardon and Paroles rec­om­mend­ed clemen­cy for Thompson, which Texas Governor Rick Perry reject­ed. (“Killer exe­cut­ed after Perry rejects pan­el’s advice,” Houston Chronicle, November 202009)
14.Steven WoodsTXWhite9/​13/​2011Woods was sen­tenced and exe­cut­ed for the 2001 mur­der of two indi­vid­u­als in Denton County. Woods main­tained his inno­cence, claim­ing that despite being present at the crime scene, he did not pull the trig­ger or kill the vic­tims. (Michael Graczyk, Death Row Inmate Maintains Innocence During Execution, NBCDFW, September 142011.)
15.Cleve FosterTXWhite9/​25/​2012Foster was con­vict­ed under the Texas law of par­ties” for his par­tic­i­pa­tion in the 2002 mur­der of Nyaneur Pal in Fort Worth, Texas. Foster alleged that his code­fen­dant, who con­fessed to the mur­der and died in prison of can­cer, killed the vic­tim passed out. (Corrie MacLaggan and Terry Baynes, Texas puts to death man who received three stays of exe­cu­tion, Reuters, September 252012.)
16.William Van PoyckFLWhite6/​12/​2013Van Poyck and Frank Valdes were con­vict­ed and sen­tenced to death for the 1987 shoot­ing death of a cor­rec­tion­al offi­cer dur­ing an escape attempt. Valdes was beat­en to death by cor­rec­tion­al offi­cers in 1999. After his death, his wife came for­ward with infor­ma­tion impli­cat­ing Valdes as the shoot­er, not Van Poyck. Van Poyck main­tained he did not shoot the vic­tim. (Crimesider Staff, William Van Poyck Execution: Florida man due to be exe­cut­ed Wednesday for mur­der of prison guard, CBS News, June 112013.)
17.Michael Lee WilsonOKBlack1/​9/​2014Wilson was con­vict­ed for plan­ning and tak­ing part in the 1995 mur­der of a cowork­er, along with three code­fen­dants. Video evi­dence showed that while Wilson’s code­fen­dants beat the vic­tim, he was behind the counter serv­ing cus­tomers who entered the store and try­ing to remove the safe from under the counter. (Heide Brandes, Oklahoma exe­cutes man who killed store man­ag­er in rob­bery, Reuters, January 92014.)
18.Ray JasperTXBlack3/​19/​2014Jasper and a code­fen­dant par­tic­i­pat­ed in the 2000 mur­der and rob­bery of a San Antonio, Texas record­ing stu­dio own­er. Jasper admit­ted he slashed the victim’s throat, but alleged his code­fen­dant deliv­ered the fatal stab wounds. (KENS 5 Staff, Ray Jasper exe­cut­ed for 1998 mur­der of San Antonio busi­ness own­er, KENS5, March 192014.)
19.Donald NewburyTXWhite2/​4/​2015Newbury was one of the Texas 7,” a group of men who escaped from a max­i­mum-secu­ri­ty Texas prison on December 13, 2000. After escap­ing, the men robbed a sport­ing goods store, they were con­front­ed by police offi­cer Aubrey Hawkins. Hawkins was killed in a shootout and Newbury, who claimed he did not shoot at Hawkins, was con­vict­ed, and sen­tenced to death under the Texas law of par­ties.” (Associated Press, Donald Newbury of infa­mous Texas 7’ gang faces exe­cu­tion Wednesday, The Guardian, February 4, 2025; Jason Whitely, Texas 7’ fugi­tive killer Donald Newbury put to death, USA Today, February 52025.)
20.Joseph GarciaTXLatino12/​4/​2018Garcia was one of the Texas 7,” a group of men who escaped from a max­i­mum-secu­ri­ty Texas prison on December 13, 2000. After escap­ing, the men robbed a sport­ing goods store, where some of the men were con­front­ed by police offi­cer Aubrey Hawkins. Hawkins was killed in a shootout and Garcia, who was not involved in the shootout, was con­vict­ed and sen­tenced to death under the Texas law of par­ties.” (David Martin Davies, Texas Matters: Texas 7’ Escapee Set For Execution, Texas Public Radio, November 30, 2018; Keri Blakinger, Texas 7’ escapee fights death sen­tence as Dec. 4 exe­cu­tion nears, Houston Chronicle, November 232018)
21.Nathaniel WoodsALBlack3/​25/​2020Woods was charged with the mur­der of three Birmingham police offi­cers who were attempt­ing to exe­cute a war­rant for arrest on a mis­de­meanor charge. Woods did not have a weapon on him, and his accom­plice, Kerry Spencer, con­fessed to shoot­ing and killing all three offi­cers. (Dan Barry and Abby Ellin, He Never Touched the Murder Weapon. Alabama Sentenced Him to Die, The New York Times, December 52021.)
22.Brandon BernardFederalBlack12/​10/​2020Bernard was one of five indi­vid­u­als con­vict­ed of the 1999 killing of two youth min­is­ters. Bernard was not the gun­man. Christopher Vialva, con­vict­ed of being the shoot­er, was exe­cut­ed two months ear­li­er. (Christina Carrega, Brandon Bernard exe­cut­ed after Supreme Court denies request for a delay, CNN, December 112020.)

Contract Killings
 

1.
NameAnthony Antone
StateFL
Race of
Defendant
White
Execution Date1/​26/​1984
Description of CrimePlanned the Murder of a for­mer Police Detective. The shoot­er com­mit­ted sui­cide while in jail. (“Contract Murderer Dies in Florida,” New York Times, January 271984)
2.
NameMark Hopkinson
StateWY
Race of
Defendant
White
Execution Date1/​22/​1992
Description of CrimeConvicted of order­ing the bomb­ing deaths of a fam­i­ly. The bomber died before he could be ques­tioned. Hopkinson was exe­cut­ed pro­claim­ing his inno­cence. (“Executed in Wyoming,” The Washington Times, January 231992)
3.
NameLarry Heath
StateAL
Race of
Defendant
White
Execution Date3/​20/​1992
Description of CrimeContracted for the mur­der of his wife. The shoot­er was giv­en a life sen­tence. (HEATH v. ALABAMA, 474 U.S. 82 (1985))
4.
NameRobert Black Jr.
StateTX
Race of
Defendant
White
Execution Date5/​22/​1992
Description of CrimeJohn Wayne Hearn placed an ad in Soldier of Fortune mag­a­zine offer­ing his skills as a mer­ce­nary. Black con­tact­ed him and paid him to mur­der his wife. Hearn is serv­ing a life sen­tence in Florida. (“Killer Tells of Requests for His Help in Crimes,” New York Times, February 211988)
5.
NameMarkham Duff-Smith
StateTX
Race of
Defendant
White
Execution Date6/​29/​1993
Description of CrimeContracted for the mur­der of his adop­tive moth­er. Of the co-defen­dants, one was giv­en a 30-year sen­tence and anoth­er was paroled after serv­ing three years in prison. The shoot­er was exe­cut­ed on 7/​24/​2003. (“Murderers Are Put to Death in Texas and Georgia,” New York Times, June 301993)
6.
NameDavid Fisher
StateVA
Race of
Defendant
White
Execution Date3/​23/​1999
Description of CrimeContracted for mur­der to col­lect a life insur­ance pol­i­cy. The shoot­er received a life sen­tence. (“Virginia Executes Man Who Arranged Murder for Hire.” The Washington Post, March 231999)
7.
NameMarilyn Plantz
StateOK
Race of
Defendant
White
Execution Date5/​1/​2001
Description of CrimeConspired with two men to have her hus­band killed, alleged­ly to col­lect insur­ance mon­ey that they would share in. One of the killers (her lover), William Bryson, was also exe­cut­ed. (“Oklahoma Executes Second Female Prisoner,” Washington Post, May 22001)
8.
NameClarence Ray Allen
StateCA
Race of
Defendant
Native American
Execution Date1/​19/​2006
Description of CrimeWhile in prison, Allen con­tract­ed Billy Ray Hamilton to mur­der wit­ness­es who had tes­ti­fied against him. Hamilton also received a death sen­tence, but died of can­cer while on death row. (“Death Row Inmate, 58, Dies of Cancer,The Los Angeles Times, October 262007)
9.
NameGregory Lynn Summers
StateTX
Race of
Defendant
White
Execution Date10/​25/​2006
Description of CrimeContracted for the mur­der of three fam­i­ly mem­bers. The shoot­er was giv­en a death sen­tence as well. (Texas Department of Corrections: Texas Offender Information)
10.
NameTeresa Lewis
StateVA
Race of
Defendant
White
Execution Date9/​23/​2010
Description of CrimeContracted for the mur­der of hus­band and adult step­son. The two shoot­ers received life with­out parole sen­tences. (“Virginia exe­cutes Teresa Lewis for role in slay­ings of hus­band, step­son in 2002,” Washington Post, Sept. 232010)
11.
NameKelly Gissendaner
StateGA
Race of
Defendant
White
Execution Date9/​30/​2015
Description of CrimeArranged to have her boyfriend kill her hus­band. The boyfriend received a life sen­tence after a plea bar­gain. (“Georgia Executes Woman on Death Row Despite Clemency Bid and Pope’s Plea,” N.Y. Times, Sept. 302015)
12.
NameRobert Fratta
StateTX
Race of
Defendant
White
Execution Date1/​10/​2023
Description of CrimeFratta, a for­mer Missouri City pub­lic safe­ty offi­cer, was con­vict­ed and sen­tenced to death for hir­ing two peo­ple to kill his estranged wife in 1994. (Juan Lozano, Texas exe­cutes ex-offi­cer who hired 2 peo­ple to kill wife, Associated Press, January 102023.)
NameStateRace of
Defendant
Execution DateDescription of Crime
1.Anthony AntoneFLWhite1/​26/​1984Planned the Murder of a for­mer Police Detective. The shoot­er com­mit­ted sui­cide while in jail. (“Contract Murderer Dies in Florida,” New York Times, January 271984)
2.Mark HopkinsonWYWhite1/​22/​1992Convicted of order­ing the bomb­ing deaths of a fam­i­ly. The bomber died before he could be ques­tioned. Hopkinson was exe­cut­ed pro­claim­ing his inno­cence. (“Executed in Wyoming,” The Washington Times, January 231992)
3.Larry HeathALWhite3/​20/​1992Contracted for the mur­der of his wife. The shoot­er was giv­en a life sen­tence. (HEATH v. ALABAMA, 474 U.S. 82 (1985))
4.Robert Black Jr.TXWhite5/​22/​1992John Wayne Hearn placed an ad in Soldier of Fortune mag­a­zine offer­ing his skills as a mer­ce­nary. Black con­tact­ed him and paid him to mur­der his wife. Hearn is serv­ing a life sen­tence in Florida. (“Killer Tells of Requests for His Help in Crimes,” New York Times, February 211988)
5.Markham Duff-SmithTXWhite6/​29/​1993Contracted for the mur­der of his adop­tive moth­er. Of the co-defen­dants, one was giv­en a 30-year sen­tence and anoth­er was paroled after serv­ing three years in prison. The shoot­er was exe­cut­ed on 7/​24/​2003. (“Murderers Are Put to Death in Texas and Georgia,” New York Times, June 301993)
6.David FisherVAWhite3/​23/​1999Contracted for mur­der to col­lect a life insur­ance pol­i­cy. The shoot­er received a life sen­tence. (“Virginia Executes Man Who Arranged Murder for Hire.” The Washington Post, March 231999)
7.Marilyn PlantzOKWhite5/​1/​2001Conspired with two men to have her hus­band killed, alleged­ly to col­lect insur­ance mon­ey that they would share in. One of the killers (her lover), William Bryson, was also exe­cut­ed. (“Oklahoma Executes Second Female Prisoner,” Washington Post, May 22001)
8.Clarence Ray AllenCANative American1/​19/​2006While in prison, Allen con­tract­ed Billy Ray Hamilton to mur­der wit­ness­es who had tes­ti­fied against him. Hamilton also received a death sen­tence, but died of can­cer while on death row. (“Death Row Inmate, 58, Dies of Cancer,The Los Angeles Times, October 262007)
9.Gregory Lynn SummersTXWhite10/​25/​2006Contracted for the mur­der of three fam­i­ly mem­bers. The shoot­er was giv­en a death sen­tence as well. (Texas Department of Corrections: Texas Offender Information)
10.Teresa LewisVAWhite9/​23/​2010Contracted for the mur­der of hus­band and adult step­son. The two shoot­ers received life with­out parole sen­tences. (“Virginia exe­cutes Teresa Lewis for role in slay­ings of hus­band, step­son in 2002,” Washington Post, Sept. 232010)
11.Kelly GissendanerGAWhite9/​30/​2015Arranged to have her boyfriend kill her hus­band. The boyfriend received a life sen­tence after a plea bar­gain. (“Georgia Executes Woman on Death Row Despite Clemency Bid and Pope’s Plea,” N.Y. Times, Sept. 302015)
12.Robert FrattaTXWhite1/​10/​2023Fratta, a for­mer Missouri City pub­lic safe­ty offi­cer, was con­vict­ed and sen­tenced to death for hir­ing two peo­ple to kill his estranged wife in 1994. (Juan Lozano, Texas exe­cutes ex-offi­cer who hired 2 peo­ple to kill wife, Associated Press, January 102023.)