Executions and Stays 2023
(Last updated November 30, 2023)
This page is updated each business day by 12 pm Eastern Time.
For information regarding Kenneth Eugene Smith’s death warrant, please review the Outcomes of Death Warrants in 2024.
58 execution dates have been scheduled by 8 states for 2023.
To date, there have been 24 executions.
34 death warrants are inactive.*
0 death warrants are active.^
Definitions of Death Warrant Outcomes
The following table lists the definitions for the outcomes of death warrants which are displayed on the Outcomes of Death Warrants in 2023 tableau. Each outcome describes the current status of the defendant’s death warrant. The main categories for the outcomes of death warrants are Active, Inactive, and Executed. On the 2023 Death Warrant Outcomes Nationally, by Date of Scheduled Execution table, the main categories, Active, Inactive, and Executed are displayed in the Outcome column; relevant details of the procedural history are noted in the Events column.
Outcome | Definition |
|---|---|
| Active | The death warrant for the defendant has been issued and an execution date has been set. |
| Inactive | The defendant will not be executed on the scheduled execution date. |
| Executed | The defendant was executed by the state or jurisdiction in which they were serving a death sentence. |
2023 Death Warrant Outcomes Nationally, by Date of Scheduled Execution
| Date of Scheduled Execution | State | Prisoner | Outcome | Events |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January 3 | MO | Amber McLaughlin (death warrant issued under the name Scott McLaughlin) | EXECUTED | EXECUTED |
| January 10 | TX | Robert Fratta | EXECUTED | Preliminary injunction issued by the Tarrant County District Court on January 10, 2023 directing Texas “to desist and refrain from administering or injecting [Fratta] with Pentobarbital unless that Pentobarbital is within the number of days specified in the Storage Conditions since the date of its compounding by a pharmacy licensed to compound it.” Writ of mandamus issued by the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals on January 10, 2023 vacating the preliminary injunction. EXECUTED |
| January 12 | OH | Antonio Franklin | Inactive |
REPRIEVED by Governor Mike DeWine on July 1, 2022 and execution rescheduled for February 11, 2026. |
| January 12 | OK | Scott Eizember | EXECUTED | EXECUTED |
| February 1 | TX | Wesley Ruiz | EXECUTED | Preliminary injunction issued by the Tarrant County District Court on January 10, 2023 directing Texas “to desist and refrain from administering or injecting [Ruiz] with Pentobarbital unless that Pentobarbital is within the number of days specified in the Storage Conditions since the date of its compounding by a pharmacy licensed to compound it.” Writ of mandamus issued by the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals on January 10, 2023 vacating the preliminary injunction. EXECUTED |
| February 7 | MO | Leonard Taylor | EXECUTED | EXECUTED |
| February 8 | TX | John Balentine | EXECUTED | Preliminary injunction issued by the Tarrant County District Court on January 10, 2023 directing Texas “to desist and refrain from administering or injecting [Ballentine] with Pentobarbital unless that Pentobarbital is within the number of days specified in the Storage Conditions since the date of its compounding by a pharmacy licensed to compound it.” Writ of mandamus issued by the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals on January 10, 2023 vacating the preliminary injunction. Warrant Withdrawn by the Potter County District Court on January 31, 2023. Warrant reinstated by the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals on February 8, 2023. EXECUTED |
| February 15 | OH | Stanley Fitzpatrick | Inactive | REPRIEVED by Governor Mike DeWine on July 1, 2022 and execution rescheduled for April 16, 2026. |
| February 16 | OK | Richard Glossip | Inactive | RESCHEDULED on January 24, 2023 by the Oklahoma Court of Criminal Appeals; execution date reset for May 18, 2023. |
| February 23 | FL | Donald Dillbeck | EXECUTED | EXECUTED |
| March 7 | TX | Gary Green | EXECUTED | EXECUTED |
| March 7 | PA | John Eichinger | Inactive | REPRIEVED by Governor Tom Wolf on January 11, 2023. |
| March 9 | OK | Jemaine Cannon | Inactive | RESCHEDULED on January 24, 2023 by the Oklahoma Court of Criminal Appeals; execution date reset for May 18, 2023. |
| March 9 | TX | Arthur Brown | EXECUTED | Preliminary injunction issued by the Tarrant County District Court on January 10, 2023 directing Texas “to desist and refrain from administering or injecting [Brown] with Pentobarbital unless that Pentobarbital is within the number of days specified in the Storage Conditions since the date of its compounding by a pharmacy licensed to compound it.” Writ of mandamus issued by the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals on January 10, 2023 vacating the preliminary injunction. EXECUTED |
| March 15 | OH | Charles Lorraine | Inactive | REPRIEVED by Governor Mike DeWine on November 10, 2022. Execution rescheduled for May 13, 2026. |
| March 23 | ID | Gerald Pizzuto, Jr. | Inactive | STAYED by the U.S. District Court for the District of Idaho on March 9, 2023 “pending the Court’s final adjudication of [his] Petition for Writ of Habeas Corpus.” |
| March 29 | TX | Anibal Canales, Jr. | Inactive | WARRANT WITHDRAWN by the Bowie County District Court on March 16, 2023 to permit counsel for Mr. Canales to “seek further discovery from other law enforcement entities and continue Mr. Canales’s investigation” in support of a subsequent state habeas corpus petition. |
| April 3 | PA | Rahmael Sal Holt | Inactive | Legally premature death warrant. STAYED by the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania on February 14, 2023 “pending completion of these habeas corpus proceedings or until further Order of this Court.” |
| April 5 | TX | Andre Thomas | Inactive | WARRANT WITHDRAWN by the Grayson County District Court on March 7, 2023. |
| April 6 | OK | Anthony Sanchez | Inactive | RESCHEDULED on January 24, 2023 by the Oklahoma Court of Criminal Appeals; execution date reset for September 21, 2023. |
| April 6 | AZ | Aaron Gunches | Inactive | WARRANT EXPIRED |
| April 12 | FL | Louis Bernard Gaskin | EXECUTED | EXECUTED |
| April 19 | OH | David Sneed | Inactive | RESENTENCED TO LIFE on January 31, 2022 under Ohio’s serious mental illness law |
| April 26 | TX | Ivan Cantu | Inactive | WARRANT WITHDRAWN by the Collin County District Court on April 20, 2023. Execution date reset for February 28, 2024. |
| May 3 | FL | Darryl Barwick | EXECUTED | EXECUTED |
| May 4 | OK | Phillip Hancock | Inactive | RESCHEDULED on January 24, 2023 by the Oklahoma Court of Criminal Appeals; execution date reset for November 30, 2023. |
| May 17 | OH | Gerald Hand | Inactive | REPRIEVED on November 10, 2022 by Governor Mike DeWine. Execution rescheduled for June 17, 2026. |
| May 18 | OK | Richard Glossip | Inactive | STAYED by U.S. Supreme Court on May 5th pending the dispositions of his petitions of certiorari |
| June 1 | OK | James Ryder | Inactive | RESCHEDULED on January 24, 2023 by the Oklahoma Court of Criminal Appeals; execution date reset for February 1, 2024. |
| June 6 | MO | Michael Tisius | EXECUTED | EXECUTED |
| June 15 | OH | Cleveland Jackson | Inactive | REPRIEVED on November 10, 2022 by Governor Mike DeWine. Execution rescheduled for July 15, 2026. |
| June 15 | FL | Duane Owen | EXECUTED | EXECUTED |
| July 6 | OK | Michael Smith | Inactive | RESCHEDULED on January 24, 2023 by the Oklahoma Court of Criminal Appeals; execution date reset for April 4, 2024. |
| July 19 | OH | Michael D. Webb | Inactive | DIED ON DEATH ROW on May 2, 2022. |
| July 20 | OK | Jemaine Cannon | EXECUTED | EXECUTED |
| July 21 | AL | James Barber | EXECUTED | EXECUTED |
| July 25 | PA | Harve Lamar Johnson | Inactive | STAYED by the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania on August 21, 2023. |
| August 1 | MO | Johnny A. Johnson | EXECUTED | Temporary stay granted by panel on the 8th U.S. Circuit Court on June 25, 2023. On June 29, the government’s petition for rehearing en banc was granted. The petition for panel rehearing was denied as moot. Judge Kelly and Judge Erickson would have denied the petition for rehearing en banc. The Court’s June 25th order staying the execution was VACATED. AP News article. EXECUTED |
| August 3 | FL | James Phillip Barnes | EXECUTED | EXECUTED |
| August 3 | OK | Wade Lay | Inactive | RESCHEDULED on January 24, 2023 by the Oklahoma Court of Criminal Appeals; execution date reset for June 6, 2024. |
| August 16 | OH | James O’Neal | Inactive | REPRIEVED on April 14, 2023 by Governor Mike DeWine. Execution rescheduled for August 19, 2026. |
| September 13 | TX | Henry Skinner | Inactive | DIED ON DEATH ROW on February 16, 2023 of complications following surgery to remove a brain tumor. |
| September 14 | OH | Jerome Henderson | Inactive | REPRIEVED on April 14, 2023 by Governor Mike DeWine. Execution rescheduled for October 21, 2026. |
| September 21 | OK | Anthony Sanchez | EXECUTED | EXECUTED |
| October 3 | FL | Michael Zack | EXECUTED | EXECUTED |
| October 5 | OK | Richard Rojem | Inactive | To be RESCHEDULED at a later date |
| October 10 | TX | Jedidiah Isaac Murphy | EXECUTED | EXECUTED |
| October 18 | OH | Melvin Bonnell | Inactive | REPRIEVED on April 14, 2023 by Governor Mike DeWine. Execution rescheduled for November 18, 2026. |
| October 26 | TX | William Speer | Inactive | STAYED on October 26, 2023 by the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals. View order. |
| November 2 | OK | Emmanuel Littlejohn | Inactive | To be RESCHEDULED at a later date |
| November 8 | ID | Thomas Creech | Inactive | WARRANT WITHDRAWN The state’s parole board has granted a clemency hearing to consider changing his sentence to life in prison. |
| November 9 | TX | Brent Brewer | EXECUTED | EXECUTED |
| November 16 | TX | David Renteria | EXECUTED | Warrant Withdrawn by the El Paso County District Court on August 29, 2023. Writ of mandamus issued by the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals on September 18, 2023, vacating the Court’s August 29th order withdrawing the warrant. Warrant reinstated by the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals on September 18, 2023. Source: Court Opinion EXECUTED |
| November 16 | OH | Keith Lamar | Inactive | REPRIEVED on July 13, 2023 by Governor Mike DeWine. Execution rescheduled for January 13, 2027. |
| November 16 | AL | Casey McWhorter | EXECUTED | EXECUTED |
| November 30 | OK | Phillip Hancock | EXECUTED | EXECUTED |
| December 6 | OH | Elwood Jones | Inactive | WARRANT WITHDRAWN Execution date VACATED by the Ohio Supreme Court, awaiting new trial |
| December 7 | OK | Kevin Underwood | Inactive | To be RESCHEDULED at a later date |
2023 Death Warrant Outcomes Nationally, by Month
Month | Scheduled Executions | Executions | Inactive Death Warrants | Active Death Warrants |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 4 | 3 | 1 | 0 |
| February | 6 | 4 | 2 | 0 |
| March | 7 | 2 | 5 | 0 |
| April | 7 | 1 | 6 | 0 |
| May | 4 | 1 | 3 | 0 |
| June | 4 | 2 | 2 | 0 |
| July | 5 | 2 | 3 | 0 |
| August | 4 | 2 | 2 | 0 |
| September | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 |
| October | 5 | 2 | 3 | 0 |
| November | 7 | 4 | 3 | 0 |
| December | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| Total | 58 | 24 | 34 | 0 |
2023 Death Warrant Outcomes by Jurisdiction
State | Scheduled Executions | Executions | Inactive Death Warrants | Active Death Warrants |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oklahoma | 15 | 4 | 11 | 0 |
| Ohio | 12 | 0 | 12 | 0 |
| Texas | 13 | 8 | 5 | 0 |
| Missouri | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 |
| Pennsylvania | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| Florida | 6 | 6 | 0 | 0 |
| Arizona | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Idaho | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| Alabama | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| TOTALS | 58 | 24 | 34 | 0 |