US Executes Three Death Row Inmates in Single Day, First Time in 15 Years

Three death row inmates were executed across Oklahoma, Tennessee, and Alabama on Thursday using lethal injections, marking the first time in over 15 years that three executions were carried out on the same day in the United States.

According to the Tennessee Department of Correction, 66-year-old Anthony Hines was executed at a maximum-security prison in Nashville. Hines was convicted for the 1985 murder of Katherine Jenkins, a 54-year-old motel maid and mother of four. This was Tennessee’s first execution since May, when an attempt was halted after execution staff failed to establish an IV line.

In Oklahoma, state officials confirmed the execution of Carlos Cuesta-Rodriguez, 70, at the state penitentiary in McAlester. He was sentenced to death for the 2003 murder of his live-in partner, Olympia Fisher.

Meanwhile, Alabama authorities carried out the execution of 42-year-old Jeremy Williams, who was convicted of the 2021 rape and murder of 5-year-old Kamari Holland.

According to the Death Penalty Information Center (DPIC), Thursday's executions represent the highest single-day execution total in the U.S. since 2010.

With these three executions, the total number of capital punishments carried out in the country this year has reached 22. Florida accounts for 12, Texas for 4, Oklahoma for 3, while Arizona, Tennessee, and Alabama have executed 1 each.

Currently, 23 out of 50 U.S. states have abolished the death penalty, while three others—California, Oregon, and Pennsylvania—maintain official moratoria on executions.

Last year, 47 executions were carried out nationwide, the highest annual total since 2009. Methods included lethal injection in 39 cases, firing squads in 3, and nitrogen hypoxia in 5. The United Nations has strongly condemned nitrogen hypoxia as a cruel and inhumane method. Despite growing controversy, President Donald Trump has called for an expanded use of capital punishment.