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State & Federal

Nevada

News & Developments


News

Jan 26, 2023

Family Members of Murder Victims Call on North Carolina, Nevada to Commute States’ Death Rows

In North Carolina and Nevada, fam­i­ly mem­bers of mur­der vic­tims are speak­ing out against the death penal­ty, encour­ag­ing offi­cials in both states to com­mute their death row.

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Dec 21, 2022

Judge Blocks Nevada Board of Pardons Vote on Death-Row Commutations

A Nevada judge has blocked a request from out­go­ing Governor Steve Sisolak (pic­tured) that the Nevada Pardons Board con­sid­er com­mut­ing all death sen­tences to life with­out the pos­si­bil­i­ty of parole. Gov. Sisolak pro­posed on December 14, 2022 that the board dis­cuss the com­mu­ta­tion of the state’s 57 death sen­tences at its December 20 meet­ing. Just one day before that meet­ing was set to take place, Carson City District Court Judge James Wilson Jr. blocked the dis­cus­sion and ruled that the pro­pos­al vio­lat­ed a state law requir­ing advance notice to victims’…

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Dec 06, 2022

Midterm Elections: Moratorium Supporters, Reform Prosecutors Post Gains Despite Massive Campaign Efforts to Tie Reformers to Surge in Violent Crime

In a year that fea­tured mas­sive cam­paign adver­tis­ing attempt­ing to por­tray legal reform­ers as respon­si­ble for increas­es in vio­lent crime, can­di­dates com­mit­ted to crim­i­nal legal reform or who promised to con­tin­ue statewide mora­to­ria on exe­cu­tions post­ed key elec­tion wins in the 2022 midterm elec­tions. Defying a pre-elec­tion nar­ra­tive fore­cast­ing a back­lash against pro­gres­sive pros­e­cu­tors and con­ven­tion­al wis­dom that fear of crime dri­ves polit­i­cal out­comes, reform pros­e­cu­tors were re-elect­ed to office and gained new footholds in coun­ties across the country.

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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 coun­sel who lacked the knowl­edge and resources to com­pe­tent­ly defend a cap­i­tal tri­al. In a 2 – 1 deci­sion issued on February 14, 2022, the appeals pan­el upheld a September 23, 2019 rul­ing by District Court Judge Gloria M. Navarro hold­ing that the pub­lic defend­er assigned to rep­re­sent Rogers pro­vid­ed inef­fec­tive rep­re­sen­ta­tion while attempt­ing to present an insan­i­ty defense…

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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 exe­cu­tions in the state.

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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 emer­gency med­ical tech­ni­cians, declined to par­tic­i­pate after U.S. District Judge Richard Boulware II asked the state to pro­vide him with their cre­den­tial infor­ma­tion. Another doc­tor was exclud­ed by the Nevada Department of Corrections (NDOC) after the agency learned of ​“addi­tion­al infor­ma­tion,” accord­ing to NDOC’s deputy direc­tor of oper­a­tions William Gittere. ​“NDOC no longer has an attending…

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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 released by Vegas Watch on January 27, 2022 shows.

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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 its sup­ply of a ques­tion­ably obtained lethal-injec­tion drug expires on February 28, 2022.

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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.

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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. Reversing the tri­al court’s dis­missal of Howard’s post­con­vic­tion chal­lenge to his death sen­tence, the appeals court ruled that a recent deci­sion by New York state courts that over­turned a con­vic­tion pros­e­cu­tors relied upon as an aggra­vat­ing cir­cum­stance in Howard’s case inval­i­dat­ed that aggra­vat­ing circumstance.

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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.

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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.

Timeline

1913 - Nevada invents an “automated firing squad” comprised of three rifles mounted on an iron frame that all fire simultaneously. It is used once in the execution of Andriza Mircovich.

1924 - Gee Jon is the first person in the United States to be executed by lethal gas.

1973 - Nevada reinstate the death penalty following Furman v. Georgia.

2011 - Nevada Senate passes a bill that authorizes an audit of the cost of the state’s application of the death penalty.

2016 - Nevada Department of Corrections sends 247 requests for proposals to pharmaceutical suppliers and receives no bids to supply the state with lethal injection drugs.

2017 - A Nevada judge issues a stay of execution for Scott Dozier, putting off the country’s first attempted execution using an unprecedented lethal injection protocol featuring the opioid pain medication fentanyl and the paralytic drug cisatracurium.

2018 - In response to a lawsuit filed by pharmaceutical manufacturer Alvogen, Inc., a Nevada District Judge stays the July 11 execution of Scott Dozier and prohibits Nevada from using drugs produced by Alvogen to execute Mr. Dozier.

2020 - Alvogen, Inc., Hikma Pharmaceuticals USA, and Sandoz Inc. reach a settlement with Nevada after state officials return unused drugs obtained under false pretenses.

2021 -  Nevada Press Association files a federal lawsuit challenging the limitations that Nevada’s execution protocol and secrecy laws place on the media’s ability to witness and report on executions.

2021 -  Nevada Supreme Court finds Samuel Howard innocent after 40 years on death row.

2022 - Nevada judge blocks request from outgoing Governor Sisolak for the Nevada Pardons Board to consider commuting all death sentences to life without the possibility of parole.

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.

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

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: 64
  • 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: 3,104,614*
  • 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: Joe Lombardo

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