Entries tagged with “Brad Little”
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…
What to Know Series
,Mar 09, 2026
What to Know: Costs and the Death Penalty
DPI’s “What to Know” series examines capital punishment from multiple angles, one topic at a time. Each installment provides essential facts and data on specific aspects of the death penalty. This installment looks at the costs associated with pursuit of death sentences and executions. Why it matters: The question at the heart of this issue is whether the assumed benefits of the death penalty are worth its costs and whether other systems might provide similar benefits at less cost. It is a…
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…
Jan 15, 2025
Idaho Reckons with High Costs of the Death Penalty
A recent op-ed in the Idaho Statesman highlights a number of difficulties that are a result of historic underspending on capital defense as the state prepares for its first execution since 2012. Idaho’s public defense system is transitioning to statewide oversight as part of an effort to address longstanding inequities in county-funded legal representation. With the consolidation of the public defender system came pay increases for most of Idaho’s public defenders, but many of the highest-paid…
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…
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…
Research
Nov 30, 2021
Idaho Pardons Commission Holds Clemency Hearing for Terminally Ill Death-Row Prisoner in Hospice Care
The sister of a terminally ill death-row prisoner who has been in hospice care since 2019 has asked the Idaho Commission of Pardons and Parole to recommend that he be granted clemency so he can “die on God’s time.” In emotional testimony presented virtually on November 30, 2021, Angelinna Pizzuto told the parole board members that her brother, Gerald Pizzuto, Jr. (pictured), had been repeatedly beaten and raped by their stepfather throughout his childhood, and that social service agencies had…