Category: execution

Texas Executes Inmate for Fatally Shooting 3 Teens in 1998

HUNTSVILLE, Texas—A man convicted of killing three teenagers while they slept in a Texas Panhandle home more than 25 years ago was executed on Wednesday, the sixth inmate to be put to death in the U.S. this year and the second in as many days. John Balentine, 54, received a lethal injection at the state…


Missouri Executes Man Who Killed Girlfriend and 3 Children

BONNE TERRE, Mo.—A Missouri man convicted of killing his live-in girlfriend and her three young children was executed Tuesday despite his claims that he was in another state when the killings occurred. Raheem Taylor, 58, was the third Missouri inmate put to death since November at the state prison in Bonne Terre. It was the…


Texas Executes Inmate for 2007 Fatal Shooting of Dallas Officer

HUNTSVILLE, Texas—Texas on Wednesday executed an inmate convicted of fatally shooting a Dallas police officer nearly 16 years ago after a high-speed chase. Wesley Ruiz, 43, received a lethal injection at the state penitentiary in Huntsville, Texas, for the March 2007 killing of Dallas Police Senior Corporal Mark Nix. “I would like to apologize to…


Arizona’s Death Penalty Halted by Gov. Hobbs and Attorney General Mayes

Gov. Katie Hobbs (D-Ariz.) announced a new executive order on Friday to establish a Death Penalty Independent Review Commissioner to provide transparency around the state’s processes and protocols for executions. In a statement, Hobbs’ office said she signed an executive order establishing the commissioner as part of her First 100 Days initiative to “build an Arizona…


‘Muted’ UK Reaction to Iran Executing Akbari Is Symptomatic of Failed Policy of ‘Appeasement’: Experts

The British government’s failure to add Iran’s Revolutionary Guards to the list of proscribed terrorist organisations following the executing of a British national, Alireza Akbari, at the weekend is another example of the “weakness” of the government’s policy of “appeasement,” according to an expert on Iran. On Monday, British Foreign Secretary James Cleverly told Parliament…


Oklahoma Executes Man Who Killed Elderly Couple in 2003

McALESTER, Okla.—Oklahoma executed a man Thursday who was convicted of killing an elderly couple and committing other crimes 20 years ago before authorities caught up to him in Texas after a manhunt. Scott James Eizember, 62, received a lethal injection at the Oklahoma State Penitentiary in McAlester and was pronounced dead at 10:15 a.m., authorities…


Hearing Sought for Man Facing Execution Who Claims Innocence

ST. LOUIS—Attorneys for a Missouri man scheduled to be executed next month are seeking a new hearing, citing sworn statements they call “clear and convincing evidence” that he didn’t kill his girlfriend and her three children. Leonard Taylor, 58, is scheduled to die by injection Feb. 7 for the 2004 killings of Angela Rowe, 28,…


World Soccer Union ‘Shocked’ to Learn Iranian Player at Risk of Execution for Involvement in Protests

An Iranian professional soccer player is at risk of being sentenced to death for his involvement in a protest that erupted in the country about three months ago after a 22-year-old Kurdish-Iranian woman died while in custody, according to multiple reports. The International Federation of Professional Footballers (FIFPRO), which is the global union for soccer…


World Soccer Union ‘Shocked’ to Learn Iranian Player at Risk of Execution for Protest Involvement

A global soccer players’ union says it’s “shocked and sickened” by reports that an Iranian professional soccer player is at risk of being executed for his involvement in anti-government protests. The organization, the International Federation of Professional Footballers (FIFPRO), said on Twitter that it’s “shocked and sickened by reports that professional footballer Amir Nasr-Azadani faces execution in Iran…


Iran Carries Out 2nd Execution Linked to Anti-Regime Protests

DUBAI—Iran on Monday hanged a man in public who state media said had been convicted of killing two members of the security forces, the second execution in less than a week of people involved in protests against the regime’s ruling theocracy. Nationwide unrest erupted three months ago after the death while in detention of 22-year-old…