US Executes Five Death Row Inmates in One Week, a Record High in Over 20 Years

Release date: 2024-09-27 18:00

International News

Guangdong

US Sees Highest Number of Executions in Over 20 Years

The United States has executed five death row inmates in the past week, the highest number in more than 20 years. This record high has sparked attention from the outside world, with many noting that it is unusual for the number of executions to increase as the US reduces the death penalty.

Recent Executions

On Thursday, the fourth and fifth prisoners were executed in Alabama and Oklahoma respectively. Miller, 59, was executed in an Alabama prison for fatally shooting three people in 1999. The authorities used nitrogen gas to execute him, marking the second time this method has been used after January.

The fifth death row inmate, 52-year-old Littlejohn, was executed by lethal injection in an Oklahoma prison for shooting and killing a convenience store manager during a robbery in 1992.

A Record High

This is the first time since July 2003 that five prisoners have been executed in one week in the United States. The total number of executions in the US has now reached 1,600 since the federal Supreme Court reinstated the death penalty in 1976.

Expert Insights

While some experts believe that the increase in executions may be just a coincidence, others note that it is unusual for the number of executions to increase as the US reduces the death penalty. The timing of the executions may be attributed to the fact that state courts or officials happened to choose similar execution times after the death row inmates’ appeals were ultimately rejected.