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State And Federal Info

Nevada

History of the Death Penalty

Nevada was the first state in the United States to use the gas chamber, and executed 32 men with that method from 1924-1979. All executions in Nevada since 1979 have been carried out by lethal injection.

Famous Cases

In 1924, the use of cyanide gas was introduced, as Nevada sought a more humane way of executing its inmates. Gee Jon was the first person in the United States executed by lethal gas. The state tried to pump cyanide gas into Jon’s cell while he slept, but this proved impossible, and the gas chamber was constructed.

In 2010, Ronnie Milligan was released from prison after 20 years on death row. Doubts concerning Milligan’s guilt were also raised after a letter written by an eyewitness at his trial, Ramon Houston, was discovered. In the letter, Houston indicated that he killed the victim. The letter also disclosed that Milligan, who testified at his trial that he was in an alcoholic blackout at the time of the crime, was not even at the scene when the victim was killed. Another co-defendant signed an affidavit saying that Milligan was not present during the killing, and that everybody involved conspired against him when they learned he had no memory of that day. Expressing “grave reservations” about Milligan’s guilt, District Judge Richard Wagner sentenced Milligan to a term of life with the possibility of parole and determined that Milligan was immediately eligible for parole.

Notable Exonerations

Roberto Miranda spent 14 years on death row before his conviction was reversed. A witness, Fernando Cabrera, claimed he drove with Miranda to Manuel Rodriguez Torres’ house and waited outside. Cabrera had motive to frame Miranda because Miranda was having an affair with his girlfriend. At trial, Miranda had been represented by an attorney with one year’s experience who had inherited the case when his colleague died. In overturning his conviction, Clark County Senior District Judge Norman Robison wrote: “The lack of pretrial preparation by trial counsel … cannot be justified.”

Interesting Facts

In 1913, Nevada invented an “automated firing squad” comprised of three rifles mounted on an iron frame that fired simultaneously. It was used once, in the execution of Andriza Mircovich.

The last inmates at Nevada State Prison were removed in January, 2012, but the state’s execution chamber remains there.

Valley of Fire State Park.  Photo by Jackie Royall.
Valley of Fire State Park. Photo by Jackie Royall.

Resources

  • Department of Corrections
  • Nevada Coalition Against the Death Penalty
  • Advisory Council for Prosecuting Attorneys
  • Public defender’s office
  • Victims’ services

Nevada Execution Totals Since 1976

News & Developments


Mental Illness

Mar 03, 2022

Federal Court Grants New Trial to Nevada Death-Row Prisoner, Blasts State for Providing Inexperienced, Inadequately Resourced Defense Counsel

The United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit has affirmed a Nevada dis­trict court’s grant of a new tri­al to death-row pris­on­er Mark Rogers, blast­ing the state for pro­vid­ing him with inex­pe­ri­enced coun…

Federal Court Grants New Trial to Nevada Death-Row Prisoner, Blasts State for Providing Inexperienced, Inadequately Resourced Defense Counsel

Lethal Injection

Feb 16, 2022

Deadline to Seek Execution of Zane Floyd Before Lethal-Injection Drugs Expire Passes in Nevada

Nevada pros­e­cu­tors have failed to meet a dead­line to obtain a death war­rant to exe­cute Zane Floyd before its sup­ply of a key lethal-injec­tion drug expires, indef­i­nite­ly extend­ing the near 16-year pause between exe…

Deadline to Seek Execution of Zane Floyd Before Lethal-Injection Drugs Expire Passes in Nevada

Lethal Injection

Feb 11, 2022

Nevada Execution Personnel Back Out of Participation After Judge Inquires About Credentials

At least three Nevada exe­cu­tion per­son­nel backed out of par­tic­i­pat­ing in Zane Floyd’s (pic­tured, right) exe­cu­tion after a U.S. dis­trict judge asked about their edu­ca­tion and train­ing. The per­son­nel, includ­ing a doc­tor and two emer…

Nevada Execution Personnel Back Out of Participation After Judge Inquires About Credentials

Intellectual Disability

Feb 03, 2022

New Poll: Voters Overwhelmingly Oppose Las Vegas DA Seeking the Death Penalty Against Vulnerable and Impaired Persons

Likely vot­ers in Clark County, Nevada over­whelm­ing­ly oppose the use of cap­i­tal pun­ish­ment against broad cat­e­gories of vul­ner­a­ble and impaired per­sons whom coun­ty pros­e­cu­tors have been try­ing to exe­cute, a new poll…

New Poll: Voters Overwhelmingly Oppose Las Vegas DA Seeking the Death Penalty Against Vulnerable and Impaired Persons

Lethal Injection

Nov 09, 2021

Nevada Prosecutors Ask Federal Judge to Expedite Decision on Execution Protocol, Citing Looming Expiration Date of Questionably Obtained Drugs

Nevada pros­e­cu­tors have asked a fed­er­al judge to expe­dite a deci­sion on the con­sti­tu­tion­al­i­ty of the state’s exe­cu­tion process, say­ing accel­er­at­ed review is nec­es­sary if the state is to exe­cute Zane Floyd before …

Nevada Prosecutors Ask Federal Judge to Expedite Decision on Execution Protocol, Citing Looming Expiration Date of Questionably Obtained Drugs

Innocence

Sep 22, 2021

Nevada Supreme Court Finds Samuel Howard Innocent of the Death Penalty 40 Years After He Was Sent to Death Row

The Nevada Supreme Court has found that a pris­on­er who has been on the state’s death row for more than forty years is ​“actu­al­ly inno­cent” of the death penal­ty and must be resen­tenced. In a 

Nevada Supreme Court Finds Samuel Howard Innocent of the Death Penalty 40 Years After He Was Sent to Death Row

Capital Case Development

Sep 16, 2021

Nevada Supreme Court Finds Samuel Howard Actually Innocent of Death Penalty

NEWS (9/​16/​21) – Nevada: The Supreme Court of Nevada has over­turned Samuel Howard’s death sen­tence, find­ing him ​“actu­al­ly inno­cent” of the death penalty.…

Nevada Supreme Court Finds Samuel Howard Actually Innocent of Death Penalty

Mental Illness

Aug 23, 2021

Nevada Death-Row Prisoner Who Faced July Execution Date Files Application to Commute Death Sentence

A Nevada death-row pris­on­er has asked for a clemen­cy hear­ing to present new evi­dence of sig­nif­i­cant brain dam­age and post-trau­mat­ic stress dis­or­der caused by mil­i­tary ser­vice and child­hood trau­ma. On August 10, 2021, lawy…

Nevada Death-Row Prisoner Who Faced July Execution Date Files Application to Commute Death Sentence

Lethal Injection

Jul 30, 2021

Nevada Press Association Sues State for Full Access to Witness Executions

The Nevada Press Association has filed a fed­er­al law­suit against Nevada state offi­cials and the Nevada Department of Corrections chal­leng­ing lim­i­ta­tions the state’s exe­cu­tion pro­to­col places on the media’s ability…

Nevada Press Association Sues State for Full Access to Witness Executions

Lethal Injection

Jun 29, 2021

Drug Manufacturer Says Nevada ​‘Surreptitiously’ Obtained Drug for Execution in Violation of State and Federal Law

For the sec­ond time in three years, the Nevada Department of Corrections (NDOC) and the state of Nevada are fac­ing legal action from a phar­ma­ceu­ti­cal man­u­fac­tur­er after obtain­ing drugs for an exe­cu­tion in violati…

Drug Manufacturer Says Nevada ‘Surreptitiously’ Obtained Drug for Execution in Violation of State and Federal Law
View More

View Information by State

Additional Information


  • Death Penalty: Yes
  • Number of Executions Since 1976: 12
  • Number of Executions Before 1976 (may include federal and military executions): 61
  • Current Death Row Population: 65
  • Women on Death Row: 0
  • Number of Innocent People Freed From Death Row: 2
  • Number of Clemencies Granted: 1
  • Date of Reinstatement (following Furman v. Georgia): July 1, 1973
  • First Execution After Reinstatment: 1979
  • Location of Death Row (Men): Ely State Prison
  • Location of Death Row (Women): Carson City
  • Location of Executions: Nevada State Prison
  • Capital: Carson City
  • Region: West
  • Population: 3,080,156
  • Murder Rate (per 100,000 population): 4.64
  • Is Life Without Parole an Option?: Yes
  • Can a defendant get death for a felony in which s/he was not responsible for the murder?: Yes
  • Method of Execution: Injection
  • How is Sentence Determined?: Jury
  • Clemency Process: Board or advisory group determines clemency
  • Governor: Steve Sisolak

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