US Executes 5 Prisoners in One⁢ Week, Breaking‌ 20-Year Record

The Lethal Injection ⁢Chamber ‍in ⁢Texas

The United States has ⁢executed five death ‌row inmates‍ within ⁢a⁤ week, a trend that runs counter to⁣ the declining support‍ for and use of the death penalty. According to the Associated Press, this ⁢wave of⁤ executions began⁤ on September 20,​ with South ‌Carolina taking ‍the lead.

Two prisoners‍ from Missouri and Texas were executed on September ​24, while Alabama and⁣ Oklahoma are expected to execute one death row inmate ‌each on September 26.‍ The‌ Death Penalty Information Center (DPC) pointed ⁤out that if ⁢the last⁤ two executions go ahead as planned, it will be the first ​time in more ​than 20 years that the United States has ‍executed⁣ five people in seven days since July ⁤2003.

Experts believe that scheduling ⁣five‍ executions in one week is unusual. Eric ⁣Berger, a ‍law professor at the ‍University of Nebraska, explained that many factors may cause‌ the execution ​”traffic jam”, such as the inability to obtain the lethal drugs needed for injection,⁤ or the​ suspension of ⁣executions due to botched executions.

The Electric Chair, a Common Method of Execution in the 20th Century

On September 20,‍ South​ Carolina ⁢executed Freddie Owens, who killed a supermarket⁣ clerk during a robbery ⁣in 1997. This ⁢was the state’s first execution in 13 years. Missouri executed Marcellus Williams on September⁤ 24, who stabbed a woman⁣ in 1998, despite the defense’s​ lawyers’ claims that prosecutors mishandled the murder weapon‍ and made procedural errors in selecting juries.

Also on September 24, Texas ⁣executed⁢ Travis ⁢Mullis, who killed his eldest son in March ‌2008. He had a long history of mental illness and sought appeals many times. He finally admitted in February this ​year that “the punishment fits ‍the crime.” Texas is the state in ​the United ⁣States that executes the death ⁣penalty ‍most frequently, and Mullis is also the fourth Texas‍ death‌ row inmate⁢ to be executed this year.

Alabama is ‌expected to⁢ carry out its second‌ nitrogen death penalty in history on September ‌26. Alan Miller shot ⁣and killed three men in ‌1999. His ​lethal injection ⁣was delayed in 2022 because he could not find a vein. Now he ‌will be put ⁣on a mask and forced to inhale pure nitrogen⁤ to death.

Oklahoma ⁢is also expected to execute Emmanuel Littlejohn ⁣on September 26. He shot and killed⁤ an innocent store manager during a robbery ⁣in 1992. He claimed that‍ although he participated ‌in the crime, he did not fire the fatal shot. The state’s Pardon and Parole Board ‌also voted to recommend a pardon,⁣ but Governor Kevin​ Stitt has ⁣not yet made a​ decision.