Executions and Stays 2020

62 execution dates were scheduled by 8 states and the Federal Government for 2020.
17 executions were carried out by 5 states and the Federal Government.
19 executions were stayed.
1 execution was halted by commutation.
16 executions were halted by reprieve.
9 warrants were withdrawn/removed/rescheduled.



Date of Scheduled ExecutionStatePrisonerOutcome
January
13FederalAlfred BourgeoisPreliminary 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.
15FederalDustin Lee HonkenPreliminary 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.
15OHGeorge BrinkmanLegally premature warrant. Stay granted by the Ohio Supreme Court on October 9, 2019 to permit Brinkman to pursue appellate review of his conviction and death sentence that is guaranteed as a matter of Ohio law.†
15OHDenny ObermillerDate removed.†
15TXJohn GardnerExecuted
16OHKareem JacksonReprieve granted by Gov. Mike DeWine on October 30, 2019 and execution rescheduled for September 16, 2020.†
16GAJimmy MedersCommuted to life without parole by the Georgia Board of Pardons and Paroles on January 16, 2020.
29GADonnie Cleveland Lance

Executed

JANUARY 20208 executions scheduled by 3 states and the Federal Government2 executions; 3 death warrants stayed or enjoined; 1 death sentence commuted; 1 execution halted by reprieve; 1 death warrant date removed
February
6
TXAbel Ochoa

Executed

12OHLawrence LandrumReprieve granted by Gov. John Kasich on September 1, 2017 and execution rescheduled for December 9, 2021.†
12OHMelvin Bonnell

Reprieve granted by Gov. Mike DeWine on December 20, 2019 and execution rescheduled for March 18, 2021.†

20
TNNicholas Todd SuttonExecuted
FEBRUARY 20204 executions scheduled by 3 states2 executions; 2 executions halted by reprieves
March
5ALNathaniel WoodsExecuted
11OHAnthony BeltonDate removed.†
11TXCarlos TrevinoRescheduled for June 3, 2020
12OHGregory Lott

Reprieve granted by Gov. Mike DeWine on January 31, 2020 and execution rescheduled for May 27, 2021.†

13PAJordan Clemons

Legally premature warrant. Stay granted by the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania on February 11, 2020 to permit Clemons to pursue habeas corpus review of his conviction and death sentence that is guaranteed as a matter of federal law.

18TXJohn Hummel

60-day stay granted by the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals on March 16, 2020 “in light of the current health crisis and the enormous resources needed to address that emergency.”

25TXTracy Lane Beatty

60-day stay granted by the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals on March 19, 2020 “in light of the current health crisis and the enormous resources needed to address that emergency.”

MARCH 20207 executions scheduled by 4 states1 execution; 3 death warrants stayed; 1 execution halted by reprieve; 2 execution dates removed or rescheduled
April
16TNAbu-Ali Abdur’ RahmanStay granted by Tennessee Supreme Court on December 11, 2019 to determine whether Attorney General has standing to appeal August 30, 2019 trial court acceptance of plea agreement resentencing Abdur’Rahman to life in prison on August 30, 2019. (Execution date had been rescheduled from April 9, 2020.)
16OHStanley T. AdamsReprieve granted by Gov. John Kasich on September 1, 2017 and execution rescheduled for February 16, 2022 .†
16OHJohn Stumpf

Reprieve granted by Gov. Mike DeWine on January 31, 2020 and execution rescheduled for September 15, 2021.†

23TXFabian Hernandez

60-day stay granted by the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals on April 1, 2020 based on defense motion invoking coronavirus health crisis.

29TXBilly Wardlow

Execution rescheduled for July 8, 2020 by order of the trial court on April 6, 2020, granting a motion by the Morris County District Attorney’s office to reschedule the execution and denying a motion by the defense to withdraw the death warrant.

APRIL 20205 executions scheduled by 3 states2 executions halted by reprieve; 2 death warrants stayed; 1 warrant rescheduled
May
6TXEdward Busby

60-day stay granted by the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals on April 27, 2020 based on a defense motion invoking coronavirus health crisis.

13TXRandall Mays

Stay granted by the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals on May 7, 2020, which remanded his case to the trial court to review his claim of intellectual disability.

13OHCaron MontgomeryDate removed.†
14OHWarren Keith Henness

Reprieve granted by Gov. Mike DeWine on January 31, 2020 and execution rescheduled for January 12, 2022.†

19MOWalter Barton

Executed. Stay granted by the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Missouri on May 15, 2020, but vacated by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit on May 17.

MAY 20205 executions scheduled by 3 states

1 execution; 1 execution halted by reprieve; 2 death warrants stayed; 1 death warrant removed.

June
2PATam Minh Le

Legally premature warrant. Stay granted by the Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas on April 22, 2020 to permit Le to pursue state post-conviction review of his conviction and death sentence that is guaranteed as a matter of Pennsylvania law.

3

TXCarlos Trevino

Execution rescheduled by Bexar County Judicial District Court on April 15, 2020. New execution date is September 30, 2020.

4TNOscar Franklin Smith

Stay granted by the Tennessee Supreme Court on April 17, 2020 and execution rescheduled for February 4, 2021.

16TXRuben Gutierrez

Stay granted by the U.S. Supreme Court on June 16, 2020 to determine whether to review Gutierrez’s petition to review his challenge to Texas’s denial of his request to have a Christian chaplain accompany him in the execution chamber. The U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Texas initially granted a stay of execution on June 9. That stay was vacated by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit on June 12.

17OHRomell Broom

Reprieve granted by Gov. Mike DeWine on April 14, 2020 and execution rescheduled for March 16, 2022.†

22PAEric Frein

Legally premature warrant. Stay granted by the Pike Court of Common Pleas on June 12, 2020 to permit Frein to pursue state post-conviction review of his conviction and death sentence that is guaranteed as a matter of Pennsylvania law.

JUNE 20206 executions scheduled by 4 states4 death warrants stayed; 1 execution halted by reprieve; 1 execution rescheduled.
July
8TXBilly Joe WardlowExecuted
13FederalDaniel Lee

Executed. A preliminary injunction was granted by the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia on July 13, 2020 on the prisoners’ challenge to the federal execution protocol. Motion to vacate injunction denied by U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit after 10:00 p.m. on July 13 but was VACATED by a 5-4 vote of the U.S. Supreme Court at 2:30 a.m. on July 14.

The government attempted to carry out the execution at 4:00 a.m., but counsel notified the Bureau of Prisons of a December 2019 stay from an Arkansas federal district court that was still in effect. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit vacated that stay at 6:36 a.m. Central/7:36 a.m. Eastern and Lee was executed without notice to counsel less than a half-hour later.

An earlier preliminary injunction granted on July 10, 2020 by the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Indiana based on the victims’ family’s request to postpone the execution because of the COVID-19 pandemic was vacated by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit on July 12 and the U.S. Supreme Court on July 14 declined to stay the execution to permit an appeal.

15OHNathaniel JacksonDate removed.†
15FederalWesley Purkey

Executed. At around 3:00 a.m. on July 16, 2020, the U.S. Supreme Court vacated by a 5-4 vote a preliminary injunction the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia had granted on July 15, 2020 on Purkey’s challenge to his competency to be executed. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit had declined to vacate the injunction.

At the same time, the U.S. Supreme Court also vacated a second preliminary injunction granted by the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia on July 15, 2020 on claims raised in the prisoners’ challenge to the federal execution protocol. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit also had declined to vacate that injunction.

On July 15, the U.S. Supreme Court voted 5-4 to vacate a temporary stay of execution that the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit had granted on July 2, 2022 pending “the issuance of th[e] court’s mandate or as specified in any subsequent order that is issued.”

A preliminary injunction was granted by the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia on July 13, 2020 on the prisoners’ challenge to the federal execution protocol. A motion to vacate the injunction was denied by U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit on July 13, 2020. A second motion to vacate the injunction was granted by the U.S. Supreme Court around 2:30 a.m. on July 14 on a 5-4 vote.

16OHJohn Hanna

Reprieve granted by Gov. Mike DeWine on April 14, 2020 and execution rescheduled for May 18, 2022.†

17FederalDustin Honken

Executed.

At around 3:00 a.m. on July 16, 2020, the U.S. Supreme Court vacated a preliminary injunction granted by the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia on July 15, 2020 on claims raised in the prisoners’ challenge to the federal execution protocol. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit had declined to vacate that injunction.

A prior preliminary injunction had been granted by the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia on July 13, 2020 on other issues in the prisoners’ challenge to the federal execution protocol. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit on July 13, 2020 denied the government’s motion to vacate that injunction. However, around 2:30 a.m. on July 14, the U.S. Supreme Court granted a second motion to vacate the injunction.

28PALeeton Thomas

Legally premature warrant. Stay granted by the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania on June 30, 2020 to permit Thomas to pursue habeas corpus review of his conviction and death sentence that is guaranteed as a matter of federal law.

JULY 20207 executions scheduled by 3 states and the federal government4 executions; 1 death warrant stayed; 1 execution date removed; 1 execution halted by reprieve.
August
4TNHarold Wayne NicholsReprieve granted by Gov. Bill Lee on July 17, 2020.
12OHDouglas Coley

Reprieve granted by Gov. Mike DeWine on April 14, 2020 and execution rescheduled for July 20, 2022.†

26FederalLezmond MitchellExecuted.
28FederalKeith Nelson

Executed. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit on August 27, 2020 vacated an injunction entered earlier in the day by the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia based on Nelson’s argument that the federal protocol violated the requirements of the Federal Food & Drug Act. The District Court on August 28 denied Nelson’s motion to enter additional findings and issue a new order.

At around 3:00 a.m. on July 16, 2020, the U.S. Supreme Court vacated a preliminary injunction granted by the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia on July 15, 2020 on claims raised in the prisoners’ challenge to the federal execution protocol. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit had declined to vacate that injunction.

A prior preliminary injunction had been granted by the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia on July 13, 2020 on other issues in the prisoners’ challenge to the federal execution protocol. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit on July 13, 2020 denied the government’s motion to vacate that injunction. However, around 2:30 a.m. on July 14, the U.S. Supreme Court granted a second motion to vacate the injunction.

AUGUST 20204 executions scheduled by 2 states and the federal government2 executions; 2 executions halted by reprieve
September
9TXJohn Ramirez

Warrant withdrawn

16OHKareem Jackson

Reprieve granted by Gov. Mike DeWine on June 5, 2020 and execution rescheduled for September 15, 2022.†

17OHJohn DrummondReprieve granted by Gov. John Kasich on September 1, 2017 and execution rescheduled for April 21, 2022.†
24FederalWilliam LeCroy

Executed

26FederalChristopher Andre VialvaExecuted
30TXCarlos TrevinoExecution date withdrawn by the Bexar County District Court on September 15, 2020 “due to the current COVID-19 conditions in Texas.” A hearing to reset the execution date has been scheduled for March 5, 2021.
SEPTEMBER 20206 executions scheduled by 2 states and the federal government2 executions; 2 executions halted by reprieve; 2 warrants withdrawn.
October
8TNByron Black

Stay granted by the Tennessee Supreme Court on June 12, 2020 because of the coronavirus impact on litigation and execution rescheduled for April 8, 2021.

14OHStanley Fitzpatrick

Reprieve granted by Gov. Mike DeWine on June 5, 2020 and execution rescheduled for February 15, 2023.†

OCTOBER 20202 executions scheduled in 2 states1 execution halted by reprieve; 1 death warrant stayed.
November
18OHAnthony SowellLegally premature warrant. Stay granted by the Ohio Supreme Court on January 5, 2017 “pending disposition of available state remedies” to permit Sowell to pursue appellate and post-conviction review of his conviction and death sentence that is guaranteed as a matter of Ohio law.†
19FederalOrlando HallExecuted

NOVEMBER 2020

2 executions scheduled by 1 state and the federal government1 execution; 1 death warrant stayed
December
3TNPervis Payne

Reprieve granted by Gov. Bill Lee on November 6, 2020 until April 9, 2021.

4SCRichard Moore

Stay granted by the South Carolina Supreme Court on November 30, 2020 because “the South Carolina Department of Corrections does not have, and will not be able to obtain, the drugs required for execution by lethal injection by December 4, 2020.”

8FederalLisa MontgomeryTemporary stay granted by the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia on November 18, 2020 based on the denial of meaningful access to clemency and the abandonment by counsel resulting from counsel’s contracting COVID-19. Execution rescheduled for January 12, 2021.
9OHDavid Sneed

Reprieve granted by Gov. Mike DeWine on June 5, 2020 and execution rescheduled for April 19, 2023.†

10FederalBrandon Bernard

Executed

11FederalAlfred BourgeoisExecuted
DECEMBER 20206 executions scheduled by 3 states and the federal government2 executions; 2 executions halted by reprieve; 2 execution stayed

† 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.

2020 Death Warrant Outcomes Nationally, by Month



MonthScheduled
Executions
ExecutionsStayed by Courts*CommutationsReprievesDied on
Death Row
RescheduledDate Removed or
Warrant Withdrawn
Total

62

17

19

1

16

0

3

6

January

8

2

3

1

1

0

0

1

February

4

2

0

0

2

0

0

0

March

7

1

3

0

1

0

1

1

April

5

0

2

0

2

0

1

0

May

5

1

2

0

1

0

0

1

June

6

0401010
July7410100

0

August4

2

00

2

00

1

September

6

2

002

0

02
October20

1

01000
November

2

1

100000
December6

2

20

2

000
2020 Death Warrant Outcomes by Jurisdiction



StateScheduled
Executions
ExecutionsStayed by Courts*CommutationsReprievesDied on
Death Row
RescheduledDate Removed or
Warrant Withdrawn
TOTALS

62

17

19

1

16

0

3

6

Ohio200

2

0

14

004
Texas

14

3

6000

3

2
Federal Government13

10

300000
Tennessee

6

1

3

0200

0

Pennsylvania40

4

0000

0

Georgia2

1

010000
Alabama11000000
Missouri11000000
South Carolina10100000