Entries tagged with “Thomas Creech”
Executions
Jul 22, 2026
Idaho Death-Sentenced Prisoners Challenge “Arbitrary” and “Capricious” Firing Squad Protocol
In March, the Idaho legislature passed a law exempting execution procedures from administrative oversight requirements — seemingly designed to undermine a pending lawsuit filed by death-sentenced prisoner Gerald Pizzuto. After the firing squad took effect as Idaho’s primary execution method on July 1, Mr. Pizzuto, alongside fellow prisoner Thomas Creech, again sued the state on July 6 for alleged administrative violations. Mr. Pizzuto initially sued the state in 2024 based on a lethal injection…
Executions
Apr 08, 2026
New Idaho Law Shields Execution Procedures from Judicial Review and Public Scrutiny
Idaho law empowers state courts to review and block certain government actions, such as those imposed without notice or public input, as well as policy changes that are “arbitrary, capricious, or an abuse of discretion.” However, a bill signed March 31 by Gov. Brad Little (R) exempts execution procedures from these oversight requirements. If the prison director decides to alter the execution protocol, death-sentenced prisoners will only be able to challenge those changes on constitutional…
May 15, 2025
$200,000 Spent on Lethal Injection Drugs in Idaho Since 2023 Now Unusable
The Idaho Department of Corrections (IDOC) has admitted to spending $200,000 on lethal injection execution drugs since 2023, all of which have since expired without use. Josh Tewalt, the former director of IDOC said in recent court filings that the drugs in IDOC’s possession expired because of repeated delays associated with scheduling an execution. Sanda Kuzeta-Cerimagic, an IDOC spokesperson, told the Idaho Statesman that the department does not currently have lethal injection drugs in its…
Methods of Execution
,Mar 17, 2025
Idaho Governor Signs Legislation Authorizing Firing Squad as State’s Primary Execution Method
On March 12, 2025, Idaho Governor Brad Little (pictured) signed House Bill 37 into law, making the firing squad the state’s primary method of execution. In a statement to Catholic News Agency, Gov. Little said, “I have long made clear my support of capital punishment…My signing of [this bill] is consistent with my support of the Idaho Legislature’s actions in setting the policies around methods of execution in the state of Idaho.” The bill, which takes effect on July 1, 2026, passed both…
Upcoming Executions
,Methods of Execution
,Botched Executions
,Nov 07, 2024
Idaho: Federal Judge Grants Stay of Execution for Thomas Creech; Defense Asks Court to Bar Death Penalty for Bryan Kohberger
After surviving a botched execution attempt in February, Thomas Creech was scheduled for execution a second time on November 13 in Idaho. On Wednesday, November 6, a federal district court issued a stay of execution to allow more time to consider Mr. Creech’s legal claims. The Idaho Department of Corrections announced that “execution preparations have been suspended” and the execution warrant will expire. Mr. Creech, 74, is the longest-serving prisoner on Idaho’s death row. On February 28, the…
Nov 01, 2024
Prisoners With Executions Dates in South Carolina and Idaho File Requests for Clemency
Attorneys for South Carolina death row prisoner Richard Moore (pictured) filed a clemency petition with Governor Henry McMaster, asking him to commute his sentence to life in prison without the possibility of parole. Mr. Moore has garnered support from a wide range of individuals, including the former director of South Carolina Department of Corrections Jon Ozmint. In a letter to Gov. McMaster, Mr. Ozmint writes about how Mr. Moore’s “story of redemption” and good behavior will allow him to…
Methods of Execution
,Botched Executions
,Oct 17, 2024
Idaho Amends Lethal Injection Execution Protocol and Sets Second Execution Date for Thomas Creech
On October 15, 2024, the Idaho Department of Corrections (IDOC) amended its execution protocol and facilities to enable staff to place a central intravenous line, if necessary, to deliver lethal injection drugs to a prisoner. IDOC now has a new execution preparation room in which venous access would be established prior to transferring the prisoner to the execution chamber. This change, and accompanying prison renovations this past summer, came after the February 28, 2024 failed execution of…
Executions
Methods of Execution
,Botched Executions
,Sep 10, 2024
Idaho Court Dismisses Longest-Serving Death Row Prisoner’s Post-Conviction Claim Against a Second Execution Attempt
On September 5, 2024, Idaho’s Fourth Judicial District Court dismissed death-sentenced prisoner Thomas Creech’s post-conviction claim, which sought to prevent a second execution attempt on the grounds that it would violate the Fifth Amendment’s double jeopardy clause, Eighth Amendment’s prohibition against cruel and unusual punishment, and equivalent state constitutional provisions. The state’s first attempt to execute Mr. Creech on February 28, 2024 was halted because correctional staff failed…
Executions
Jul 11, 2024
NPR Investigation Reveals Supplier of Texas Execution Drugs Has Multiple Drug Enforcement Agency Violations; Questions Remain Regarding Drug Acquisition in Other States
A July 10, 2024, National Public Radio (NPR) investigation has revealed that Rite Away, a small chain of pharmacies located around San Antonio and Austin, Texas, compounded and provided pentobarbital for the Texas Department of Criminal Justice (TDCJ) between 2019 and late 2023 to carry out lethal injection executions. During the same time period, records at the Texas Board of Pharmacy and federal Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) indicate the pharmacy was cited for multiple safety and cleanliness…
Executions
Jun 06, 2024
Idaho: New Death Sentence, Updates on Executions, and Lethal Injection Drug Purchase
On June 1, 2024, an Idaho jury sentenced Chad Daybell to death for the 2019 murders of his first wife and his second wife’s two youngest children. Mr. Daybell pleaded not guilty to multiple first-degree murder, fraud, and conspiracy charges, but after being found guilty, he chose to waive his right to present mitigating evidence during his sentencing hearing. With this decision, Mr. Daybell declined the opportunity to provide the jury with reasons why he should not be sentenced to death.
Issues
Mar 06, 2024
Worldwide Wednesday International Roundup: Afghanistan, China, Iran, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, United States, Vietnam, Yemen, and Zimbabwe
In the aftermath of Idaho’s failed execution of Thomas Creech and Texas’ execution of Ivan Cantu on February 28, the European Union released a statement expressing its regret and reiterating its unequivocal opposition to the death penalty.. “[The death penalty] is a violation of the right to life and fails to act as a deterrent to crime. It represents the ultimate punishment that makes miscarriages of justice irreversible,” said the statement. “[W]e are concerned by the fact that the number of…
Executions
Methods of Execution
,Botched Executions
,Feb 29, 2024
Idaho Halts First Lethal Injection Execution in 12 Years After Failure to Establish I.V. Lines
Thomas Creech’s February 28 execution was halted after the Idaho Department of Correction execution team was unable to set an intravenous line after an hour of repeated attempts. Mr. Creech remained strapped to the gurney and conscious while unsuccessful attempts were made to access veins in both arms and legs. Officials did not disclose why the execution team was unable to establish an IV line, but the training and qualifications of staff, as well as the accessibility and quality of Mr.
Research
Feb 13, 2024
Idaho Supreme Court Denies Stay of Execution to State’s Longest Serving Death Row Prisoner Ahead of Feb 28 Execution Date
On February 9, 2024, the Idaho Supreme Court unanimously dismissed two state appeals for 73-year-old Thomas Creech, thereby denying his requests for a stay of execution. Mr. Creech, who has been on death row for more than 40 years, has also requested a new clemency hearing. He is scheduled to be executed by lethal injection on February 28, which would be Idaho’s first execution since 2012. The justices upheld the district court’s denial, agreeing that both appeals were not filed in a timely…
Research
Jan 25, 2024
Clemency Request for 73-Year-Old Death Row Prisoner in Idaho Has Support of Trial Judge and Prosecutor, Defense Presents Evidence of a Changed Man
On January 19, 2024, the Idaho Commission of Pardons and Parole held a clemency hearing for Thomas Creech, who has been on death row for nearly 44 years. The Commission will now decide whether to recommend to Governor Brad Little that Mr. Creech’s death sentence be commuted to life in prison without parole. By law, the governor is not required to follow the Commission’s recommendation. Mr. Creech faced a scheduled execution date in November 2023, but the Commission stayed the execution so that…
Issues
New Voices
,Nov 05, 2019
Idaho Prosecutor Says State’s Longest-Serving Death-Row Prisoner Should Not Be Executed
The prosecutor who sent Thomas Creech, Idaho’s longest-serving death-row prisoner, to jail 37 years ago now says that Creech and others sentenced to death in the Gem State should not be executed. Jim Harris (pictured), former County Prosecutor for Ada County, sought the death penalty against Creech in 1982. Creech, who was first sentenced to death in another case in 1976, has spent more time in prison than any other person on the state’s death row, but in the years since Harris obtained a…