Outcomes of Death Warrants in 2020

Executed

Executed

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

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

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.

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.”

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.”

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

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

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.

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

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.

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

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.

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

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

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

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

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.

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

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.

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.

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.

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

Executed.

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.

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.

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

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.

Warrant withdrawn

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

Executed

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.

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

NOVEMBER 2020

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

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.”

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

Executed

8

2

3

1

1

0

0

1

4

2

0

0

2

0

0

0

7

1

3

0

1

0

1

1

5

0

2

0

2

0

1

0

5

1

2

0

1

0

0

1

6

0

2

2

1

6

2

0

1

2

1

2

2

2

14

14

3

3

10

6

3

0

4

0

1