Stays and Executions in 2016

Date of Scheduled ExecutionStateInmateOutcome

January

7

FL

Oscar Bolin

Executed

14

AR

Jason McGehee

Temporary restraining order granted staying execution so already pending judicial review of AR lethal injection procedures could take place.~

14

AR

Kenneth Williams

Temporary restraining order granted staying execution so already pending judicial review of AR lethal injection procedures could take place.~

19

PA

Gerald Watkins

Legally premature death warrant. Stay granted by the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania on December 4, 2015 to permit Watkins to pursue post-conviction appeals available to all defendants as a matter of state and federal law.#

20

TX

Richard Masterson

Executed

21

OH

Ronald Phillips

All 2016 Ohio executions granted a reprieve because new execution drugs could not be obtained.^^

21

OH

Jeffery Wogenstahl

Rescheduled as a result of all 2015 Ohio executions being postponed until 2016 to allow the state more time to obtain new drugs. New Date Set.

21

AL

Christopher Brooks

Executed

22

PA

Andre Staton

Legally premature death warrant. Stay granted by the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania on December 2, 2015 to permit Watkins to pursue post-conviction appeals available to all defendants as a matter of state and federal law.#

27

TX

James Freeman

Executed

JANUARY 201610 scheduled executions6 states4 executions; 4 executions stayed or enjoined; 1 execution halted by reprieve; 1 execution rescheduled.

February

3

GA

Brandon Jones

Executed

11

FL

Michael Ray Lambrix

Stayed by Florida Supreme Court while the court considers his petition raising the retroactivity of Hurst v. Florida (U.S. 2016).

16

TX

Gustavo Garcia

Executed

17

GA

Travis Hittson

Executed

19

OH

Raymond Tibbetts

All 2016 Ohio executions granted a reprieve because new execution drugs could not be obtained.^^

FEBRUARY 20165 scheduled executions4 states3 executions; 1 execution stayed; 1 execution halted by reprieve

March

9

TX

Coy Wesbrook

Executed

14

LA

Daniel Blank

Stayed by the Louisiana Supreme Court on a unanimous decision.

15

TN

Donald Strouth

Died on death row, May 13, 2015

15

PA

Thomas Meadows

Legally premature death warrant. Stay granted by the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania on January 28, 2016 to permit Meadows to pursue post-conviction appeals available to all defendants as a matter of state and federal law.#

16

PA

Jeffrey Martin

Legally premature death warrant. Stay granted by the Greene County Court of Common Pleas on February 9, 2016 to permit Martin to pursue post-conviction appeals available to all defendants as a matter of state law.#

16

VA

Ricky Jovan Gray

4th Circuit issued a stay while the Supreme Court is considering hearing the case.

18

PA

Christopher Johnson

Legally premature death warrant. Stay granted by the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania on March 2, 2016 to permit Johnson to pursue post-conviction appeals available to all defendants as a matter of state and federal law.#

17

FL

Mark James Asay

Stayed by Florida Supreme Court while the court considers his petition raising the retroactivity of Hurst v. Florida (U.S. 2016).

22

TX

Adam Ward

Executed

23

OH

Alva Campbell

Rescheduled due to all 2015 Ohio executions being postponed until 2016 to allow the state more time to obtain new drugs. New Date Set^^

30

TX

John David Battaglia

Stayed by 5th Circuit for appointment of new federal counsel to develop claim of incompetence to be executed

31

GA

Joshua Bishop

Executed

MARCH 201612 scheduled executions8 states3 executions; 7 executions stayed; 1 execution rescheduled; 1 execution mooted when prisoner died on death row.

April

6

TX

Pablo Vasquez

Executed

12

GA

Kenneth Fults

Executed

13

VA

Ivan Teleguz

Stayed by 4th Circuit to permit filing and disposition of petition for writ of certiorari in U.S. Supreme Court

20

OH

Gregory Lott

All 2016 Ohio executions granted a reprieve because new execution drugs could not be obtained.^^

27

TX

Robert Pruett

Date changed to August 23, 2016.

27

GA

Daniel Lucas

Executed

APRIL 20166 scheduled executions4 states3 executions; 1 execution stayed; 1 execution halted by reprieve; 1 execution rescheduled.

May

2

PA

Stephen Treiber

Legally premature death warrant. Stay granted by the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania on March 16, 2016 to permit Treiber to pursue habeas corpus appeals available to all defendants as a matter of federal law.#

3

PA

Shonda Dee Walter

Legally premature death warrant. Stay granted by the Clinton County Court of Common Pleas on March 16, 2016 to permit Walter to pursue post-conviction appeals available to all defendants as a matter of state law.#

11

MO

Earl Forrest

Executed on May 11, 2016

11

TX

Terry Darnell Edwards

Date changed to October 19, 2016.

12

AL

Vernon Madison

Stay granted by U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit for a determination of whether the Alabama state court’s decision finding him competent to be executed was contrary to or an unreasonable application of clearly established U.S. Supreme Court precedent, or was the product of an unreasonable determination of the facts concerning Madison’s competency. The U.S. Supreme Court split 4-4 on Alabama’s motion to vacate the stay, leaving the circuit court’s decision intact.

18

OH

Angelo Fears

All 2016 Ohio executions granted a reprieve because new execution drugs could not be obtained.^^

MAY 20166 scheduled executions5 states1 execution; 3 executions stayed; 1 execution halted by reprieve; 1 execution rescheduled.

June

2

TX

Charles Flores

The Texas Court of Criminal Appeals granted a stay of execution on May 27 to permit Flores to pursue a second state habeas corpus petition challenging the prosecution’s use of hypnotically refreshed eyewitness testimony to convict him of the murder.

21

TX

Robert Roberson

The Texas Court of Criminal Appeals granted a stay of execution on June 6, 2016 to permit Roberson to pursue a second state habeas petition challenging the prosecution’s use of “shaken baby” evidence on the grounds that: (1) new scientific evidence establishes that Roberson would not have been convicted; (2) “the State relied on false, misleading, and scientifically invalid testimony” in violation of Roberson’s Texas due process rights; (3) Roberson “is actually innocent of capital murder”; and (4) Roberson “is entitled to habeas relief because his due process right to a fundamentally fair trial was violated by the State’s introduction of false forensic science testimony that current science has exposed as false.”

22

OH

Warren Henness

All 2016 Ohio executions granted a reprieve because new execution drugs could not be obtained.^^

JUNE 20163 scheduled executions2 states2 executions stayed; 1 execution halted by reprieve.

July

1

PA

George Hitcho

Legally premature death warrant. Stay granted by the Northampton County Court of Common Pleas on June 3, 2016 to permit Hitcho to pursue post-conviction appeals available to all defendants as a matter of state law.#

14

TX

Perry Williams

Execution stayed on July 6, 2016 by a Harris County trial court pending testing of lethal injection drug by the Texas Department of Criminal Justice as part of a lawsuit settlement.

14

GA

John Wayne Conner

Executed shortly after midnight on July 15, 2016.

20

OH

Cleveland R. Jackson

All 2016 Ohio executions granted a reprieve because new execution drugs could not be obtained.^^

20

TX

Taichin Preyor

Execution date withdrawn upon motion of the parties.

27

TX

Rolando Ruiz

Date changed to August 31, 2016.

JULY 20166 scheduled executions4 states1 execution; 2 executions stayed; 1 execution halted by reprieve; 1 execution date withdrawn; 1 execution rescheduled.

August

10

TX

Ramiro Gonzales

Date changed to November 2, 2016.

15

OH

William Montgomery

All 2016 Ohio executions granted a reprieve because new execution drugs could not be obtained.^^

23

TX

Robert Pruett

Stay granted by Texas Court of Criminal Appeals on August 11 to permit review of claims based on DNA evidence.

24

TX

Jeffery Wood

Stay granted by Texas Court of Criminal Appeals on August 19 to permit review of claims that death sentence was a product of false scientific evidence concerning future dangerousness and that the prosecution’s use of false testimony to obtain the death sentence violated due process.

31

TX

Rolando Ruiz

Stay granted by Texas Court of Criminal Appeals on August 26 “pending further order of this Court,” following filing of successive state post-conviction petition challenging (1) ineffectiveness of trial and intitial post-conviction counsel for failing to investigate and present mitigating evidence and (2) the constitutionality of an execution two decades after the death sentence was imposed.

AUGUST 20165 scheduled executions2 states3 executions stayed; 1 execution halted by reprieve; one execution rescheduled.

September

14

TX

Robert Mitchell Jennings

Stay granted by Texas Court of Criminal Appeals by a vote of 5-4 on September 2 “pending further order of this Court.”

21

OH

Kareem Jackson

All 2016 Ohio executions granted a reprieve because new execution drugs could not be obtained.^^

SEPTEMBER 20162 scheduled executions2 states1 execution stayed; 1 execution halted by reprieve.

October

5

TX

Barney Fuller

Executed (volunteer)

19

OH

Robert Van Hook

All 2016 Ohio executions granted a reprieve because new execution drugs could not be obtained.^^

19

TX

Terry Darnell Edwards

Date changed to January 26, 2017.

19

GA

Gregory Lawler

Executed

OCTOBER 20164 scheduled executions2 states2 executions; 1 execution halted by reprieve; 1 execution rescheduled.

November

2

TX

Ramiro Gonzales

Warrant withdrawn

3

AL

Thomas Arthur

Stay granted by the U.S. Supreme Court pending review of Arthur’s petition for writ of certiorari involving a challenge to Alabama’s method of execution.

16

OH

Jeffery Wogenstahl

All 2016 Ohio executions granted a reprieve because new execution drugs could not be obtained.^^

16

GA

Steven Spears

Executed (volunteer)

NOVEMBER 20164 scheduled executions4 states1 execution; 1 execution stayed; 1 execution halted by reprieve; 1 warrant withdrawn.

December

6

GA

William Sallie

Executed

7

TX

John Battaglia

Stay granted by Texas Court of Criminal Appeals on December 4 with directions to the parties to file briefs within 60 days on the question of Battaglia’s competency to be executed.

8

AL

Ronald Smith

Executed

19

PA

Kevin Murphy

Legally premature death warrant. Stay granted by the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania on November 3, 2016 to permit Murphy to pursue post-conviction appeals available to all defendants as a matter of state and federal law.#

DECEMBER 20164 scheduled executions4 states2 executions; 2 executions stayed.

#On February 13, 2015, Pennsylvania Governor Tom Wolf issued a memorandum announcing a moratorium on all executions in the state. The memo stated that no executions will take place at least until he has “received and reviewed the forthcoming report of the Pennsylvania Task Force and Advisory Commission on Capital Punishment.”

~ On October 8, 2015, the Arkansas Circuit Court granted a temporary restraining order staying all eight scheduled executions so that already pending judicial review of the state’s execution procedures could take place. Two of those executions were set for 2016.

^^ On October 19, 2015 the Ohio Department of Corrections issued a statement that Gov. Kasich granted reprieves postponing all executions that the state had scheduled in 2016. Ohio has been unable to obtain the execution drugs required to conduct executions under state law. All execution dates have been rescheduled by the state.

“Volunteer” refers to inmates who have voluntarily waived their normal appeals (not necessarily that they have volunteered for execution).

2016 Death Warrant Outcomes Nationally, by Month
MonthScheduled ExecutionsExecutionsStayed by CourtsReprievesExecution Date RescheduledWithdrawnDied on Death Row
January10442000
February5311000
March12371001
April6311100
May6131100
June3021000
July6131100
August5031100
September2011000
October4201100
November4111010
December4220000
Total67202812511
2016 Death Warrant Outcomes by State
StateScheduled ExecutionsExecutionsStayed by CourtsReprievesExecution Date RescheduledWithdrawnDied on Death Row
Texas237100510
Ohio120012000
Georgia9900000
Pennsylvania9090000
Alabama4220000
Florida3120000
Arkansas2020000
Virginia2020000
Missouri1100000
Louisiana1010000
Tennessee1000001
Total67202812511