Three Executions in One Day: Why the U.S. Death Penalty Is Speeding Up

Imagine this: Three different men, in three different states, are all scheduled to be put to death on the exact same day. It hasn’t happened in 16 years, but it is happening this Thursday.

This event shines a spotlight on a surprising trend: executions in the U.S. are increasing rapidly, even though fewer Americans support the death penalty than ever before.

Why Is This Happening Right Now?

The Three Men Scheduled for Thursday

• Anthony Darrell Hines (66) – Tennessee. He claims he is innocent and is bedridden. He faces the same lethal injection protocol that failed badly just 12 weeks ago.
• Jeremy Williams (41) – Alabama. Convicted of the rape and murder of a 5-year-old girl in 2021. He fired his lawyers and volunteered for execution. The Governor says she won’t stop it.
• Carlos Cuesta Rodríguez (71) – Oklahoma. Convicted of a 2003 murder. He hasn’t asked for mercy. Experts say his age makes a "botched" execution more likely.

Important Context: The U.S. is one of the few Western democracies that still uses the death penalty. The United Nations and human rights groups say it violates human dignity.

The Big Picture: Executions Are Surging

By the Numbers

• 2021: Very few executions.
• 2024 (Last Year): 47 executions across 11 states. That is four times higher than 2021.
• 2025 (So far): 19 executions by mid-year. 12 of those (over 60%) happened in just one state: Florida.

Factor #1: The "Trump Effect"

Former President Donald Trump has been a loud supporter of the death penalty for decades. He calls it an "essential tool" to deter crime.

What He Did (First Term – 2020)

• Ended a 17-year pause on federal executions.
• Oversaw 13 federal executions in just 6 months.
• Changed rules to allow firing squads and speed up appeals.

What He Did (Second Term – Day One)

• Signed an executive order bringing back the federal death penalty.
• Told the Justice Department to help states get lethal injection drugs (which are hard to find).
• Encouraged states to seek death for killing police officers.

Expert Note: Justin Mazzola from Amnesty International says we won’t know the true impact for years. Death penalty cases move incredibly slowly through courts and appeals.

Factor #2: Florida Leads the Charge

Florida is the engine driving this increase. Experts say one person is responsible: Governor Ron DeSantis.

How Florida Changed the Rules (2023)

1. Lowered the Jury Bar: It used to take all 12 jurors to agree on death. Now, only 8 out of 12 need to agree.
2. Expanded Crimes: Sexual assault of a child under 12 became a capital crime (eligible for death).
3. Governor Power: In Florida, the Governor alone signs death warrants for prisoners out of appeals. No court approval needed. (Pennsylvania has a similar rule but hasn’t executed anyone since 1999).

Robin Maher (Death Penalty Information Center): "He [DeSantis] is the reason Florida is an outlier compared to the rest of the U.S."

The Debate: "They Deserve It" vs. "It’s Broken"

The Argument For It

• Deterrence: Supporters like Florida AG James Uthmeier say it stops the "worst criminals."
• Justice: "Frankly, they deserve their punishment," says prosecutor William Scheiner. He argues juries should have the option of death.

The Reality Check

• 27 States have the death penalty on the books.
• 4 States (California, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania) have paused it due to botched executions, discrimination concerns, and high costs.
• Zero countries in Latin America or the EU use it.

The Messy Reality: How Executions Happen

The method of killing is now as controversial as the idea of killing.

The Drug Shortage

• Drug companies refuse to sell their products for executions.
• States are scrambling for drugs, leading to experimental mixes.

New/Old Methods Returning

• South Carolina restarted firing squads in 2024.
• Alabama has used nitrogen gas (suffocation).

Botched Executions: A Horror Story

• 3% of all executions (1890–2010) were "botched" (something went wrong).
• Lethal Injection has the HIGHEST failure rate.
• 2022: Over 1/3 of executions had serious problems.
• Recent Tennessee Case (Tony Von Carruthers): Staff tried for over an hour to find a vein. He groaned in pain; blood ran down his chest. The Governor called it a "medical issue," not a failure.

High Risk Thursday: Two of the three men (Hines, 66 and Cuesta, 71) are elderly/sick. Experts warn age makes vein access nearly impossible, raising the risk of another botched execution.

The Paradox: Support Is Crashing While Executions Rise

This is the strangest part: The public is turning against it.

1. Moral Support at 1970s Lows: Only 52% of Americans say the death penalty is "morally acceptable" (Gallup).
2. Juries Saying "No":
   • 1990s: Juries gave 300+ death sentences per year.
   • 2024: Juries gave 23 death sentences.

Robin Maher: "These are ordinary citizens judging the worst crimes… increasingly, they say death is not the answer."

Maya Foa (Reprieve US): "It is the opposite of a cheap, easy political fix."

Summary: What You Need to Know

FAQ: Your Questions Answered

1. Can the President stop state executions?

No. The U.S. President only controls federal executions (crimes against the U.S. government). States control their own criminal justice systems. Governors have the power to pause or allow state executions.

2. Why are drug companies refusing to sell execution drugs?

Major pharmaceutical companies (mostly European) have strict policies against their medicines being used to kill people. They threaten to cut off supply to the U.S. if states use their drugs for executions. This creates a massive shortage.

3. What does "8 out of 12 jurors" mean for fairness?

Previously, a jury had to be unanimous (12-0) to sentence someone to death. Florida changed it to a supermajority (8-4). Critics argue this makes it much easier to send someone to death row and increases the risk of wrongful convictions.

4. What is a "botched execution"?

It means the execution didn’t go as planned. Examples: The prisoner takes a long time to die, shows signs of severe pain (gasping, groaning, convulsing), staff cannot find a vein for the IV, or the wrong drugs are administered.

5. If juries stop giving death sentences, why are executions rising?

There is a "pipeline delay." The people being executed now were sentenced 10, 20, or 30 years ago when juries handed out death sentences frequently. The current drop in new sentences means executions might drop in the future, but the current "backlog" is being cleared rapidly in states like Florida.