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Murder

Execution Cluster Amid National Uptick in US Death Penalty as Trump Calls for Expansion

Strategic Insights

— 2 min read

As President Donald Trump calls for the expansion of the death penalty, a cluster of executions in four states is set to take place over the next four days, with a total of six scheduled for the month so far. This uptick comes after a historic low in executions during the COVID-19 pandemic, and experts say it is partly due to renewed interest in executions in states that had previously put them on hold.

Key Takeaways:

  • The first execution of the cluster is scheduled to take place in Alabama on Tuesday, with Gregory Hunt facing death by nitrogen hypoxia for the murder of Karen Lane in 1988.
  • Florida will execute Anthony Wainwright by lethal injection on the same day for the murder of Carmen Gayheart in 1994.
  • Oklahoma is scheduled to execute John Hanson by lethal injection on Thursday for the fatal shooting of Mary Agnes Bowles in 1999.
  • South Carolina will execute Stephen Stanko by lethal injection on Friday for the murder of Henry Lee Turner in 2005.
  • If all six executions proceed, it would mark 25 executions this year to date, matching the total number of executions carried out in 2024, according to data from the Death Penalty Information Center.
  • This cluster of executions comes as Trump's executive order on the death penalty has sent a strong signal to states to push forward with executions.
  • The renewed interest in executions in some states is attributed to the resumption of executions in Arizona, Louisiana, and Tennessee, which have all started carrying out executions again after hiatuses.
  • Experts say that Trump's rhetoric has encouraged state officials who want to align themselves with the president, and that his executive order has created a "dark time" in US capital punishment.

Statistics:

  • Since the COVID-19 pandemic, the number of executions in the US has been on the upswing, with 6 scheduled for the month and 25 for the year to date.
  • In 1999, the peak year for executions, nearly 100 people were put to death nationwide.
  • As of 2025, the use of nitrogen hypoxia as a method of execution has increased, with a total of 5 executions carried out using this method in Alabama.
  • In Florida, there have been 7 death warrants signed by Gov. Ron DeSantis in the first half of 2025, with 2 more scheduled in June.

Sources:

  • "Trump administration reverses decision, allows execution of Oklahoma inmate" by CNN
  • "Death penalty statistics" by Death Penalty Information Center
  • "List of executions in Alabama" by Alabama Attorney General's Office
  • "Anthony Wainwright's court documents" by The Florida Department of Corrections
  • "John Hanson's court documents" by Oklahoma Court of Criminal Appeals
  • "Stephen Stanko's court documents" by South Carolina Department of Corrections

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