The US executed three convicted murderers by lethal injection in Oklahoma, Tennessee, and Alabama on the same day. This marked the first such event since 2010 and reflects a recent upward trend in executions nationwide.
On Thursday (13 Aug), the US carried out the executions of three inmates in one day, all by lethal injection, across Tennessee, Oklahoma, and Alabama. This was the highest number of executions in a single day in the US since 2010.
The first inmate was 66-year-old Anthony Hines, executed at a maximum-security prison in Nashville, Tennessee. He was convicted of killing 54-year-old Catherine Jenkins, a motel housekeeper and mother of four, in March 1985.
Hines stabbed Jenkins to death while she was working at a motel in Kingston Springs. Before she died, Hines said, "Say hello to my son for me," as his son, who had come to witness the execution, had reconnected with him just four days earlier after not seeing each other since the son was three years old.
Hines's execution occurred just three months after a previous execution attempt in Tennessee was halted because medical staff were unable to establish intravenous access for over an hour. Hines appealed to the governor and courts, arguing that the medical personnel involved previously were unqualified and that his execution might similarly fail, but his appeals were unsuccessful.
The second inmate was 70-year-old Carlos Cuesta-Rodriguez, executed by lethal injection at the state prison in McAlester, Oklahoma. He was convicted of shooting his lover, Olympia Fisher, to death at their home in Oklahoma City in 2003.
Cuesta-Rodriguez looked at two family members attending as witnesses and mouthed "I love you," but did not make an official final statement. He experienced labored breathing for several minutes before being declared dead at 10:13 a.m. local time.
Previously, Cuesta-Rodriguez expressed remorse for killing Fisher and told the parole board he did not want clemency. His lawyer noted he had a difficult childhood in Cuba and suffered brain damage and post-traumatic stress disorder.
Fisher's daughter said she hoped the execution would raise awareness about preventing domestic violence and that she would honor her mother’s memory by raising the family with love and faith, as her mother had taught.
The third execution took place in Alabama, where 42-year-old Jeremy Williams was put to death for raping and killing 5-year-old Kamari Holland in 2021.
Prosecutors stated that Williams offered $2,500 to the child’s mother to have the child perform sexual acts, then raped and strangled the girl to death, recording the crime. The mother is serving a 20-year sentence after pleading guilty to sex trafficking charges.
Williams confessed to the murder and declined to appeal, requesting a swift execution. In a letter to the Alabama Attorney General, he said the victim’s family deserved closure and justice.
Before his death, Williams thanked God for forgiving his sins so he could depart peacefully. He then moved his head, smiled, and appeared to sing or speak before becoming still. He was declared dead at 6:16 p.m. local time.
According to the Death Penalty Information Center, executing three inmates in one day is the first occurrence since 7 January 2010, when Louisiana, Ohio, and Texas each executed one inmate on the same day.
Although three executions were scheduled on the same day in 2018, only one was carried out after a Texas inmate’s sentence was commuted and Alabama prison officials encountered difficulties establishing intravenous lines for lethal injection.
The recent triple execution comes amid a rising trend in capital punishment in the US. In 2025, 47 inmates were executed in 11 states, the highest number since 52 executions in 2009.
In 2026, Florida has executed 12 inmates, more than all other states combined, while Oklahoma has executed 3, and Tennessee and Alabama have executed one each. Over 20 executions have occurred this year, with nearly a dozen more scheduled for the remainder of the year.
Currently, 23 of the 50 US states have abolished the death penalty, while three states—California, Oregon, and Pennsylvania—have moratoriums on executions, although laws allowing capital punishment remain in effect.
Former President Donald Trump supported expanding the use of the death penalty in the US. Most executions remain by lethal injection. Last year, 39 inmates were executed this way, 3 by firing squad, and 5 by nitrogen hypoxia, which involves inmates inhaling nitrogen gas until oxygen deprivation causes death.
The United Nations has condemned nitrogen gas executions as cruel and inhumane. Alabama suspended nitrogen hypoxia executions in June after a federal judge ruled the method unconstitutional. Lethal injections continue in several US states.
. SourceCBS News/ AFP