The federal death penalty was reinstated in 1988 with a limited statute for murders in the course of a drug conspiracy. It was expanded to 60 offenses in 1994 and included crimes such as carjacking and drive-by shootings if a death results. During the Clinton administration, no one from a non-death penalty state was sentenced to death. Since 2000, there have been at least 5 individuals in non-death states who have received death sentences: 2 in Iowa (Dustin Honken and Angela Johnson), 1 in Massachusetts (Gary Sampson), 1 in Michigan (Marvin Gabrion), and most recently, 1 in Vermont (Donald Fell). A total of 40 people are now under a federal death sentence (in some cases, a judge has not formally imposed the sentence).
Citation Guide
- Death Penalty Information Center (2025, March 14). Federal Death Penalty in Non-Death Penalty States. Retrieved October 3, 2026, from https://deathpenaltyinfo.org/federal-death-penalty-in-non-death-penalty-states
- Death Penalty Information Center. “Federal Death Penalty in Non-Death Penalty States.” Last modified March 14, 2025. Accessed October 3, 2026. https://deathpenaltyinfo.org/federal-death-penalty-in-non-death-penalty-states.
- Death Penalty Information Center. “Federal Death Penalty in Non-Death Penalty States.” Death Penalty Information Center, 14 Mar. 2025, https://deathpenaltyinfo.org/federal-death-penalty-in-non-death-penalty-states. Accessed 3 Oct. 2026.
