Publications & Testimony

On May 15, 2025, the Utah Supreme Court unanimously upheld a lower court’s decision vacating Douglas Carter’s (pictured) conviction and death sentence and ordering a new trial. The Court found that Utah County prosecutors violated Mr. Carter’s constitutional rights on multiple occasions with their “intentional misconduct” during his 1985 trial that accused him of causing the death of Eva Olesen during a home invasion. In November 2023, Utah County District Court Judge Derek P. Pullan ordered a…

The Idaho Department of Corrections (IDOC) has admitted to spending $200,000 on lethal injection execution drugs since 2023, all of which have since expired without use. Josh Tewalt, the former director of IDOC said in recent court filings that the drugs in IDOC’s possession expired because of repeated delays associated with scheduling an execution. Sanda Kuzeta-Cerimagic, an IDOC spokesperson, told the Idaho Statesman that the department does not currently have lethal injection drugs in its…

On May 8, 2025, a group of family members who have lost loved ones to violence in Tennessee delivered a letter to Governor Bill Lee’s office requesting that he halt the state’s upcoming scheduled executions. In their letter, the group of 51 “victims, survivors, and family members of those impacted by violent crime” argue the death penalty does not act as a healing tool for victims and takes away from state-funded resources that could help with their healing. For these individuals, “access to…

On May 8, 2025, Mikal Deen Mahdi’s lawyers submitted to the South Carolina Supreme Court the state pathology report in his case which suggests that Mr. Mahdi’s execution last month by firing squad did not go as planned. Pathologists reported that not only did Mr. Mahdi have two wounds as opposed to the anticipated three wounds from three South Carolina Corrections Department (SCDC) shooters, but also that they missed the intended target over his heart, prolonging his death. Mr. Mahdi was the…

According to Norway-based Iran Human Rights (IHRNGO), there have been at least 343 executions in Iran in the first four months of 2025 — a 75% increase over the same period in 2024, when 195 executions were recorded. Secrecy remains an issue with less than 4%, or only 13 of the 343 executions, reported by official sources. In April alone, there were at least 110 executions, the highest monthly total yet this year. Trends identified in recent years appear to be sustained into 2025, with executions…

The single most common outcome for a death sentence in the modern era is for it to be reversed on appeal due to a constitutional violation. Most people whose sentences are reversed get resentenced to life in prison or less, but some prosecutors persist in seeking new death sentences even after multiple reversals. A Death Penalty Information Center analysis of the 14 people sentenced to death four or more times for the same crime finds that prosecutorial misconduct, including racial bias…

In commemoration of the 20^th anniversary of the U.S. Supreme Court’s landmark decision ending the juvenile death penalty, the Death Penalty Information Center (DPI) has released a new report: Immature Minds in a “Maturing Society”: Roper v. Simmons at 20, detailing the growing support for the idea that individuals ages 18, 19, and 20 should receive the same age-appropriate considerations that juveniles now receive in death penalty cases. The report also reveals troubling new data about racial…

On April 29, 2025, U.S. District Judge Debora K. Grasham ordered the Idaho Department of Corrections (IDOC) to give media witnesses to an execution “audio and visual access to the preparation and administration of the lethal injection drugs.” The ruling stems from a December 2024 lawsuit filed by the Associated Press, The Idaho Statesman, and East Idaho News, which argued that media outlets were being unconstitutionally prohibited from viewing “key steps” in Idaho’s lethal injection process.