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State And Federal Info

Maryland

History of the Death Penalty

The first execution in Maryland was that of four servants who were hung in 1773 for the slaying of their master. The death penalty was re-evaluated in the early 1800’s, when the state established degrees of murder, allowing the death penalty only for individuals convicted of first degree murder. The death penalty was carried out by public hanging until 1913, when hangings were moved to a private space. About 50 years later, the gas chamber was briefly used as the primary method of execution, but only 4 individuals were executed that way. In 1994, lethal injection became the primary method of execution, starting with John Frederick Thanos, the first person to be executed in Maryland since 1961.

Notable Exonerations

Kirk Bloodsworth was the first death row inmate to be exonerated based on DNA evidence. He was convicted in 1984 for the rape and murder of a 9-year old girl. He spent 2 years on death row before being resentenced to life in prison. Throughout his almost nine years in prison, he insisted that he was “an innocent man” and signed all of his letters with that acronym, “A.I.M.” In 1993, he was exonerated when DNA testing revealed that the semen found on the victim’s clothing did not match Bloodsworth. When he was released, the state compenated Bloodsworth for the time he spent in prison. The $300,000 compensation mostly went to legal fees.

Notable Commutations/Clemencies

Eugene Colvin-el was sentenced to death for the brutal murder of 82-year old Lena Buckman. After exhausting his appeals process, there was only a month left until his execution was to be carried out. Then-Governor Parris Glendening commuted Colvin’s sentence to life in prison without parole despite the fact that he was “almost certain” that Colvin committed the crime. Glendening believed that being “almost certain” was not sufficient to justify a death sentence.

On January 20, 2015, Governor Martin O’Malley commuted the sentences of all four men remaining on Maryland’s death row to life in prison. The state’s abolition bill had not been retroactive, leaving 5 men under a sentence of death. One of the men died of natural causes before the remaining death sentences were commuted.

Milestones in Abolition/Reinstatement

In 1987, Maryland passed a law that prohibited juvelines from being sentenced to death and provided the option of life without parole for cases involving capital crimes.

In 1989, the state passed a provision banning the execution of intellectually disabled individuals.

In 2002, Governor Parris Glendening declared a moratorium on executions. The moratorium was lifted by his successor, Governor Robert Ehrlich.

In 2009, after nearly passing abolition legislation, Maryland instituted the tightest death penalty restrictions in the country. The law limits capital cases to those with biological or DNA evidence of guilt, a videotaped confession, or a videotape linking the defendant to a homicide.

Maryland’s legislature passed a death penalty repeal bill in March, 2013. The bill was signed by Governor Martin O’Malley on May 2, 2013.

Other Interesting Facts

Since 1923, all of the inmates executed in Maryland have been men.

On March 6, 2013, Maryland's Senate voted 27-20 to repeal the death penalty. Photo by Richard Dieter.
On March 6, 2013, Maryland’s Senate vot­ed 27 – 20 to repeal the death penal­ty. Photo by Richard Dieter.

Resources

  • Department of Corrections
  • Maryland Citizens Against State Executions
  • Prosecutors
  • Public defender’s office
  • Victims’ services
  • 2008 Maryland Commission on Capital Punishment

Maryland Execution Totals Since 1976

News & Developments


Victims' Families

Feb 01, 2019

Victims' Families and Death Penalty Repeal Efforts

Efforts to repeal the death penal­ty have often focused on the needs of mur­der vic­tims’ fam­i­lies. For exam­ple, in Connecticut, 179 mur­der vic­tims’ fam­i­lies signed a let­ter to leg­is­la­tors, which stat­ed, Our direct expe­ri­ences with …

Sentencing Alternatives

Nov 01, 2018

LWOP Post-Repeal

Life Without Parole Laws in States That Recently Repealed the Death Penalty…

Deterrence

Jan 12, 2018

Experience Shows No “Parade of Horribles” Following Abolition of the Death Penalty

States that have recent­ly abol­ished the death penal­ty have not expe­ri­enced the ​“parade of hor­ri­bles” — includ­ing increased mur­der rates — pre­dict­ed by death-penal­ty pro­po­nents, accord­ing to death-penal­ty experts who par­tic­i­pat­ed in a pan­el discussion …

Experience Shows No “Parade of Horribles” Following Abolition of the Death Penalty

Race

Aug 30, 2017

50 Years After Historic Confirmation to Supreme Court, Thurgood Marshall's Legacy Continues To Shape Future

Fifty years ago today, Thurgood Marshall (pic­tured) was con­firmed as the nation’s first African-American Supreme Court Justice. Marshall’s lega­cy is indeli­bly linked to his his­toric vic­to­ry in 1954 as coun­sel in 

50 Years After Historic Confirmation to Supreme Court, Thurgood Marshall's Legacy Continues To Shape Future

Innocence

Aug 13, 2015

"Bloodsworth: An Innocent Man" Premieres

A new film, ​“Bloodsworth: An Innocent Man,” pre­mieres on August 13. The movie, described as a ​“doc­u­men­tary mem­oir,” tells the sto­ry of Kirk Bloodsworth, an inno­cent man…

"Bloodsworth: An Innocent Man" Premieres

Clemency

Jan 02, 2015

Maryland Governor Will Commute Sentences of Remaining Death Row Inmates

On December 31, 2014, Maryland Governor Martin O’Malley announced he will com­mute the sen­tences of the four men remain­ing on the state’s death row to life with­out parole. O’Malley signed Maryland’s death penal­ty repeal bill into l…

Maryland Governor Will Commute Sentences of Remaining Death Row Inmates

Arbitrariness

Nov 19, 2014

EDITORIALS: Maryland Governor Should Commute Remaining Death Sentences

In a recent edi­to­r­i­al, the Washington Post urged Maryland Governor Martin O’Malley to com­mute the sen­tences of the four men remain­ing on the state’s death row, say­ing, ​“To car­ry out exe­cu­tions post-repeal would be both cr…

EDITORIALS: Maryland Governor Should Commute Remaining Death Sentences

Sentencing Alternatives

Nov 07, 2014

Maryland Attorney General Asks Court to Vacate Death Sentences

On November 6, Maryland Attorney General Doug Gansler (pic­tured) filed a brief with an appel­late court, for­mal­ly request­ing that the death sen­tence of Jody Lee Miles be vacat­ed. Gansler argued that Miles’s death s…

Maryland Attorney General Asks Court to Vacate Death Sentences

Arbitrariness

Dec 18, 2013

DPIC Releases 2013 Report, Showing Marked Decline in Death Penalty Use

On December 19, the Death Penalty Information Center released its…

DPIC Releases 2013 Report, Showing Marked Decline in Death Penalty Use

Recent Legislative Activity

Jun 03, 2013

RECENT LEGISLATION: Maryland Death Penalty Will Not Face Referendum

Maryland’s death penal­ty repeal leg­is­la­tion will take effect as sched­uled on October 1, 2013 after its oppo­nents were unsuc­cess­ful in secur­ing the num­ber of sig­na­tures required to put the issue on the November 2014 bal­lot. Efforts…

RECENT LEGISLATION: Maryland Death Penalty Will Not Face Referendum
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View Information by State

Additional Information


  • Death Penalty: No
  • Number of Executions Since 1976: 5
  • Number of Executions Before 1976 (may include federal and military executions): 309
  • Current Death Row Population: 0
  • Women on Death Row: 0
  • Number of Innocent People Freed From Death Row: 1
  • Number of Clemencies Granted: 6
  • Date of Reinstatement (following Furman v. Georgia): 1978
  • Date of Abolition: 2013
  • Location of Death Row: North Branch Correctional Institution in Cumberland
  • Location of Executions: Baltimore
  • Capital: Annapolis
  • Region: South
  • Population: 5,773,552
  • Murder Rate (per 100,000 population): 9
  • Is Life Without Parole an Option?: Yes
  • Method of Execution: Lethal Injection / Choice of Gas Chamber if sentenced before 3/25/94
  • Clemency Process: Governor has sole authority to grant clemency
  • Governor: Larry Hogan

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