Executions and Stays 2019
(Last updated December 11, 2019)
65 execution dates have been scheduled by 11 states and the Federal Government for 2019.
To date, there have been 22 executions in 7 states.
24 executions have been stayed.
0 executions have been halted by commutation.
13 executions have been halted by reprieve.
3 executions were rendered moot when the prisoners died on death row.
3 warrants have been withdrawn.
0 death warrants are pending.
| Date of Scheduled Execution | State | Prisoner | Outcome |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | |||
| 9 | OH | Elwood Hubert Jones | Reprieve Granted until April 21, 2021 by Gov. John Kasich on September 1, 2017.^ |
| 15 | TX | Blaine Milam | Stay granted by the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals on January 14, 2019 to permit litigation of successive state post-conviction petition raising new evidence claims, “[b]ecause of recent changes in the science pertaining to bite mark comparisons and recent changes in the law pertaining to the issue of intellectual disability.” |
| 30 | TX | Robert Jennings | Executed |
| JANUARY 2019 | 3 executions scheduled in 2 states | 1 execution; 1 execution stayed; 1 execution halted by reprieve. | |
| February | |||
| 7 | AL | Domineque Hakim Marcelle Ray | Executed after U.S. Supreme Court voted 5-4 on February 7, 2019 to vacate a stay granted the day before by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit. The 11th Circuit had stayed Ray’s execution to resolve his claim that Alabama violated his right to religious freedom by denying him access to an imam during his execution in circumstances in which it would have provided a Christian prisoner access to a chaplain’s religious service. |
| 13 | OH | James G. Hanna | Reprieve Granted on September 1, 2017 by Gov. John Kasich, and execution rescheduled for December 11, 2019 |
| 13 | OH | Warren K. Henness | Reprieve granted on January 25, 2019 by Gov. Mike DeWine, and execution rescheduled for September 12, 2019. |
| 28 | TX | Billie Wayne Coble | Executed. |
| FEBRUARY 2019 | 4 executions scheduled in 3 states | 2 executions; 2 executions halted by reprieve. | |
| March | |||
| 8 | PA | Timothy M. Jacoby | Legally premature death warrant. Stay granted by the York County Court of Common Pleas on February 8, 2019 to permit Jacoby to pursue state post-conviction appeals that are available to all Pennsylvania prisoners as a matter of right. |
| 20 | OH | Archie J. Dixon | Reprieve granted by Gov. John Kasich on September 1, 2017^, and execution rescheduled for June 23, 2021 |
| 28 | TX | Patrick Murphy | Stay granted by the U.S. Supreme Court on March 28, 2019 “pending the timely filing and disposition of a petition for a writ of certiorari unless the State permits Murphy’s Buddhist spiritual advisor or another Buddhist reverend of the State’s choosing to accompany Murphy in the execution chamber during the execution.” |
| MARCH 2019 | 3 executions scheduled in 3 states | 2 executions stayed; 1 execution halted by reprieve. | |
| April | |||
| 11 | TX | Mark Allen Robertson | Stay granted by the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals on April 8, 2019 “pending further order from this Court” on whether to reconsider the issues presented in his 1997 state habeas corpus petition. |
| 11 | AL | Christopher Price | Stay granted by the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Alabama on April 11 as part of preliminary injunction against Alabama execution protocol. New stay granted by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit to consider jurisdictional issues presented by the District Court stay. By a post-midnight 5-4 vote, the U.S. Supreme Court vacated the stay, but it was still in effect when the state’s corrections department called off the execution because the death warrant was about to expire. |
| 17 | OH | Jeffrey A. Wogenstahl | Stay granted by the Ohio Supreme Court on October 24, 2018 pending “exhaustion of all state post-conviction proceedings, including any appeals.” |
| 24 | TX | John William King | Executed. |
| APRIL 2019 | 4 executions scheduled in 2 states | 1 execution; 3 executions stayed. | |
| May | |||
| 2 | TX | Dexter Johnson | Stay granted by the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Texas on April 30, 2019 to provide recently appointed habeas corpus counsel 90 days to develop a series of claims relating to the alleged ineffective representation provided by prior counsel. |
| 2 | GA | Scotty Morrow | Executed |
| 16 | TN | Donnie Edward Johnson | Executed 7:37 p.m. CT |
| 16 | AL | Michael Samra | Executed 7:33 p.m. CT |
| 23 | FL | Robert Long | Executed |
| 29 | OH | Timothy J. Hoffner | Reprieve granted and execution rescheduled for August 11, 2021 by Gov. John Kasich on September 1, 2017^ |
| 29 | OH | Cleveland Jackson | Reprieve granted by Gov. Mike DeWine on March 7, 2019 and execution rescheduled for November 13, 2019.+ |
| 30 | AL | Christopher Lee Price | Executed |
| MAY 2019 | 8 executions scheduled in 6 states | 5 executions; 1 execution stayed; 2 executions halted by reprieve. | |
| June | |||
| 3 | OH | James Worley | Premature death warrant. Stay granted by the Ohio Supreme Court on August 20, 2018 to permit Worley to pursue his right to a direct appeal of his conviction and death sentence. |
| 5 | OH | Alva Campbell | Died on March 3, 2018. |
| 7 | GA | Tiffany Moss | Trial court issued legally premature death warrant scheduling execution for week between June 7–June 14. The execution date was stayed as a matter of law when Moss’s lawyers filed a motion for new trial in the trial court. |
| 20 | GA | Marion Wilson | Executed |
| JUNE 2019 | 4 executions scheduled in 2 states | 1 execution; 1 execution rendered moot when the prisoner died on death row; 2 legally premature death warrant stayed | |
| July | |||
| 10 | OH | Kareen M. Jackson | Reprieve granted by Gov. Mike DeWine on March 7, 2019 and execution rescheduled for January 16, 2020.+ |
| 16 | PA | William Rivera | Legally premature death warrant. Stay granted by the U.S. District Court of the Eastern District of Pennsylvania on June 6, 2019 to permit Rivera to pursue federal habeas corpus review to which all state prisoners are entitled as a matter of law. |
| 31 | TX | Ruben Gutierrez | Warrant withdrawn. New death warrant issued rescheduling execution for October 30, 2019. |
| JULY 2019 | 3 executions scheduled in 3 states | 1 execution halted by reprieve; 1 legally premature death warrant stayed; 1 warrant withdrawn | |
| August | |||
| 14 | OH | Gregory Lott | Reprieve granted by Gov. Mike DeWine on March 7, 2019 and execution rescheduled for March 12, 2020.+ |
| 15 | TN | Stephen Michael West | Executed |
| 15 | TX | Dexter Johnson | Stay granted by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit on August 14, 2019. |
| 19 | LA | Jason Reeves | Legally premature death warrant. Stay granted by the U.S. District Court in Louisiana on August 9, 2019 to permit Reeves to pursue federal habeas corpus review to which all state prisoners are entitled as a matter of law. |
| 21 | TX | Larry Swearingen | Executed |
| 22 | FL | Gary Ray Bowles | Executed |
| AUGUST 2019 | 6 executions scheduled in 5 states | 3 executions; 1 execution halted by reprieve; 2 executions stayed. | |
| September | |||
| 4 | TX | Billy Jack Crutsinger | Executed |
| 10 | TX | Mark Soliz | Executed |
| 12 | OH | Warren Keith Henness | Reprieve granted on July 31, 2019 by Gov. Mike DeWine and execution rescheduled for May 14, 2020. |
| 18 | OH | Douglas Coley | Reprieve granted and execution rescheduled for August 12, 2020 by Gov. John Kasich on September 1, 2017.^ |
| 25 | TX | Robert Sparks | Executed |
| SEPTEMBER 2019 | 5 executions scheduled in 2 states | 3 executions; 2 executions halted by reprieve | |
| October | |||
| 1 | MO | Russell Bucklew | Executed |
| 2 | TX | Stephen Barbee | Stay granted by the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals on September 23, 2019 to determine whether to apply the U.S. Supreme Court’s 2018 decision in McCoy v. Louisiana to Barbee’s case. |
| 10 | TN | Charles Walton Wright | Died on May 17, 2019. |
| 10 | TX | Randy Halprin | Stay granted by the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals on October 4, 2019 and case remanded to the trial court to address Halprin’s claim of judicial bias in his case. |
| 16 | TX | Randall Mays | Warrant withdrawn on October 4, 2019 by the Henderson County District Court “to permit the Court time to properly review all medical records submitted” to determine Mays’ competency to be executed. |
| 17 | OH | James Frazier | Reprieve granted and execution rescheduled for October 20, 2021 by Gov. John Kasich on September 1, 2017.^ |
| 17 | OH | Angelo Fears | Resentenced to life without parole on May 22, 2019, by agreement between the defense and prosecutors. Warrant vacated on June 24, 2019 by Ohio Supreme Court. |
| 23 | OH | Jason Dean | Died on March 23, 2019. |
| 30 | TX | Ruben Gutierrez | Stay granted by Texas Court of Criminal Appeals on October 22, 2019 based on defects in the issuance and service of the death warrant. |
| 30 | GA | Ray Jefferson Cromartie | Stay granted by Georgia Supreme Court on October 30, 2019 to provide the court time to decide an already pending legal issue. |
| OCTOBER 2019 | 10 executions scheduled in 5 states | 1 execution; 4 executions stayed; 1 execution halted by reprieve; 2 executions rendered moot when the prisoner died on death row; 1 warrant withdrawn; 1 warrant vacated | |
| November | |||
| 3 | SD | Charles Rhines | Executed |
| 6 | TX | Justen Hall | Executed |
| 7 | FL | James Dailey | Stay granted on October 23, 2019 by the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida until December 30, 2019 to provide newly appointed habeas corpus counsel time to investigate and present potential claims for relief. |
| 13 | OH | Cleveland Jackson | Reprieve granted by Gov. Mike DeWine on September 20, 2019 and execution rescheduled for January 13, 2021. |
| 13 | GA | Ray Jefferson Cromartie | Executed |
| 13 | TX | Patrick Murphy | Stay granted on November 7, 2019 by the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Texas to permit full review of claim that Texas denies non-Christians equal access to religious advisors during execution process. Stay upheld on November 12 by a split panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit. |
| 20 | TX | Rodney Reed | Stay granted on November 15, 2019 by the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals with directions that the trial court review Reed’s claims that “the State suppressed exculpatory evidence in violation of Brady v. Maryland”; “the State presented false testimony in violation of due process”; and that Reed “is actually innocent.” |
| 30 | SC | Timothy Jones, Jr. | Trial court issued legally premature death warrant that was stayed by operation of law in June 2019 by Rule 246 of the South Carolina Rules of Appellate Procedure when Jones’s lawyers filed a notice of intent to appeal his conviction and sentence. |
| NOVEMBER 2019 | 8 executions scheduled in 6 states | 3 executions; 4 death warrants stayed; 1 execution halted by reprieve | |
| December | |||
| 5 | TN | Lee Hall, Jr. | Executed |
| 9 | Federal | Daniel Lewis Lee | Preliminary injunction granted on November 21, 2019 by the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia based on a determination that the federal execution protocol announced in July 2019 violates the federal death penalty statute. Motion to vacate injunction denied on December 2 by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit. Application to vacate injunction denied on December 6 by the U.S. Supreme Court. Stay granted on December 5, 2019 by the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Indiana to permit litigation of a claim that federal prosecutors withheld exculpatory evidence and presented false argument exaggerating Lee’s involvement in a prior murder. Stay vacated on December 6 by U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit. |
| 11 | OH | James Hanna | Reprieve granted by Gov. Mike DeWine on October 30, 2019 and execution rescheduled for July 16, 2020. |
| 11 | Federal | Lezmond Mitchell | Stay granted by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit on October 4, 2019 pending resolution of an appeal for which a certificate of appealability had already been granted prior to the issuance of the death warrant |
| 11 | TX | Travis Runnels | Executed |
| 13 | Federal | Wesley Ira Purkey | Preliminary injunction granted on November 21, 2019 by the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia based on a determination that the federal execution protocol announced in July 2019 violates the federal death penalty statute. Motion to vacate injunction denied on December 2 by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit. Application to vacate injunction denied on December 6 by the U.S. Supreme Court. |
| 13 | PA | Jakeem Towles | Legally premature death warrant. Stay granted by the U.S. District Court of the Eastern District of Pennsylvania on November 15, 2019 to permit Towles to pursue federal habeas corpus review to which all state prisoners are entitled as a matter of law. |
| DECEMBER 2019 | 7 executions scheduled by 4 states and the Federal Government | 1 execution; 4 death warrants stayed or enjoined; 1 execution halted by reprieve; 0 warrants pending | |
* On February 19, 2019, Ohio Governor Mike DeWine stated that the state would not carry out any executions until it devised a new execution protocol that was approved by the courts. However, he did not formally halt the executions scheduled in the state.
^ On September 1, 2017, Ohio Governor John Kasich issued a statement and an updated execution schedule, which changed the execution dates for 19 of 26 condemned prisoners who had scheduled dates between September 2017 and September 2020. The execution schedule for these 26 prisoners now extends through April 2022.
+ One of three reprieves Ohio Governor Mike DeWine issued on March 7, 2019 as a result of the absence of an acceptable lethal-injection protocol.
“Volunteer” refers to prisoners who have voluntarily waived their normal appeals (not necessarily that they have volunteered for execution).
2019 Death Warrant Outcomes Nationally, by Month
| |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Scheduled Executions | Executions | Stayed by Courts* | Commutations | Reprieves | Died on Death Row | Rescheduled | Date Removed or Warrant Withdrawn | |
| Total | 65 | 22 | 24 | 0 | 13 | 3 | 0 | 3 | |
| January | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| February | 4 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| March | 3 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| April | 4 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| May | 8 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| June | 4 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | |
| July | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | |
| August | 6 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| September | 5 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| October | 10 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 2 | |
| November | 8 | 3 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| December | 7 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
* Does not include cases with stays of execution or preliminary injunctions that are currently under appeal or are still subject to appeal.
2019 Death Warrant Outcomes by State
| |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| State | Scheduled Executions | Executions | Stayed by Courts* | Commutations | Reprieves | Died on Death Row | Rescheduled | Date Removed or Warrant Withdrawn | |
| TOTALS | 65 | 22 | 24 | 0 | 13 | 3 | 0 | 3 | |
| Texas | 21 | 9 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | |
| Ohio | 18 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 13 | 2 | 0 | 1 | |
| Georgia | 5 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Alabama | 4 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Tennessee | 4 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | |
| Florida | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Federal Government | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Pennsylvania | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Missouri | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| South Dakota | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Louisiana | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| South Carolina | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
* Does not include cases with stays of execution or preliminary injunctions that are currently under appeal or are still subject to appeal.
