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List of botched executions

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A botched execution is defined by political science professor Austin Sarat as:

Botched executions occur when there is a breakdown in, or departure from, the 'protocol' for a particular method of execution. The protocol can be established by the norms, expectations, and advertised virtues of each method or by the government's officially adopted execution guidelines. Botched executions are 'those involving unanticipated problems or delays that caused, at least arguably, unnecessary agony for the prisoner or that reflect gross incompetence of the executioner.' Examples of such problems include, among other things, inmates catching fire while being electrocuted, being strangled during hangings (instead of having their necks broken), and being administered the wrong dosages of specific drugs for lethal injections.[1]

List

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This is a dynamic list and may never be able to satisfy particular standards for completeness. You can help by editing the page to add missing items, with references to reliable sources.

Before 1900

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Year Name Place of execution Method of execution Outcome Description
1540 Thomas Cromwell Tower Hill, London
England		 Beheading by axe Died Edward Hall wrote that "So patiently suffered the stroke of the axe, by a ragged and Boocherly miser, which very ungoodly perfourmed the office."[2]
1541 Margaret Pole, Countess of Salisbury Tower Green, Tower of London, London
England		 Beheading by axe Died An inexperienced executioner reportedly hacked at her a total of 11 times before finally decapitating her.[3] Some sources claim that Margaret refused to lay her head on the block, declaiming, "So should traitors do, and I am none"; according to the account, she turned her head "every which way", reportedly instructing the executioner that, if he wanted her head, he should take it as he could, although this may be apocryphal.[4]
1587 Mary, Queen of Scots Great Hall, Fotheringhay Castle, Northamptonshire
England		 Beheading by axe Died The execution took three blows.[5]
1650 Anne Greene Oxford Castle, Oxford
England		 Hanging Survived She was found alive, in her coffin, a day after her hanging, having a faint pulse and weak breathing. Set free after failed execution.[citation needed]
1683 William Russell, Lord Russell Lincoln's Inn Fields, London
England		 Beheading by axe Died The executioner, Jack Ketch, later wrote a letter of apology for conducting the execution poorly. Although in the letter, Ketch blames Lord Russell himself for making the execution more difficult.[6]
1685 James Scott, 1st Duke of Monmouth Tower Hill, London
England		 Beheading by axe Died Jack Ketch took between five and eight strokes to behead him.[7]
1705 John Smith Tyburn, London
England		 Hanging Survived He survived after hanging for 15 minutes. Set free after failed execution.[citation needed]
1724 Margaret Dickson Grassmarket, Edinburgh
Scotland		 Hanging Survived Survived after hanging, was later found alive in her coffin. Set free after failed execution.[8]
1740 William Duell Tyburn, London
England		 Hanging Survived Survived the execution after being left hanging by the neck for around 20 minutes. Sentence commuted to transportation.
1746 Arthur Elphinstone, 6th Lord Balmerino Tower Hill, London
England		 Beheading by axe Died It is said that it took three blows to behead him.
1757 Robert-François Damiens Place de Grève, Paris
France		 Dismemberment by horses Died Limbs could not be torn off and had to be cut.[9][10][11]
1805 Joseph Samuel Parramatta
New South Wales, Australia		 Hanging Survived Survived three attempts to hang him. Sentence commuted to life imprisonment.[citation needed]
1810 Andreas Hofer Near Porta Giulia, Mantua
Italy		 Firing squad Died Survived first and second volley, killed by shot from close range to the ear.
1812 William Booth Stafford, Staffordshire
England		 Hanging Died Survived the first attempt to hang him after he fell through the scaffold's trap door to the floor. Died in a second hanging two hours later.[12]
1833 Charles Getter Getter's Island, Easton
Pennsylvania, United States		 Hanging[13][clarification needed] Died Survived the first attempt to hang him. Died in a second hanging a short time later.[13]
1845 Jacob Charmel [nl] Hellevoetsluis
Netherlands		 Firing squad Died Charmel survived the first volley from the six-person squad, and during a second volley, one of the officers' rifles misfired. After a physician confirmed that Charmel was still alive, the officer whose gun had misfired was ordered to fire a final shot from close range. Charmel was the last person to be executed by firing squad in the Netherlands.
1851 John McCaffary Kenosha
Wisconsin, United States		 Hanging Died The hanging was initially unsuccessful and he strangled for approximately 20 minutes. This resulted in the abolition of capital punishment in Wisconsin.[14]
1854 John Tapner St Peter Port
Guernsey		 Hanging Died The rope did not break his neck, and he died from strangulation after hanging for 12 minutes.[15]
1858 Pieter Jan Geurts [nl] Maastricht
Netherlands		 Hanging Died Witnesses reported Geurts struggling for several minutes after falling through the trapdoor.
1860 James Stephens The Tombs
New York City, United States		 Hanging by upright jerker Died He contorted and gurgled before asphyxiating to death.[16]
1861 Paula Angel Las Vegas
New Mexico Territory, United States		 Hanging Died No gallows were available, so she was instead tied to a cottonwood tree and placed on a wagon attached to a team of horses. Antonio Abad Herrera, the county sheriff and executioner, did not want to tie her arms, so when the wagon began moving she was able to grab hold of the noose. Herrera attempted to pull her downward, but the crowd prevented him from doing so and cut her free.[17] There was potential for a riot, as some in the crowd believed that she was entitled to be released, but order was maintained and the second attempt was successful.[18]
1863 Henry Manns Darlinghurst Gaol, Sydney
New South Wales, Australia		 Hanging Died The rope slipped from his neck and caught around the front of his face, causing a prolonged and agonising execution.
1865 Henry Wirz Old Capitol Prison, Washington
DC, United States		 Hanging Died The standard drop used failed to break his neck and he died slowly due to strangulation.[19]
1870 Thomas Scott Upper Fort Garry, Red River Settlement
present-day Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada		 Firing squad Died The first salvo did not kill him, after he was shot once in the upper chest and once in the shoulder. He then got shot in the back of his head, but the bullet came out through the left side of the jaw. He was then put in a coffin, where he finally died.
1873 Mary Ann Cotton Durham County Gaol, Durham
England		 Hanging Died The rope was rigged too short to break her neck and she instead died slowly from strangulation.[citation needed]
1879 Wallace Wilkerson Provo jail yard, Provo
Utah Territory, United States		 Firing squad Died Died from bleeding 15 minutes after shots were fired but missed his heart.
1879 Joseph Mutter Brisbane
Queensland, Australia		 Hanging Died Decapitated after dropping through the trapdoor because the hangman claimed the rope was 'frosty'.[20][21]
1885 John "Babbacombe" Lee Exeter Prison, Exeter
England		 Hanging Survived Survived three attempts after the trapdoor of the gallows failed to open; sentence subsequently commuted to life imprisonment.[citation needed]
1885 Robert Goodale Norwich Castle, Norwich
England		 Hanging Died The rope was too long and overmeasured, causing him to be decapitated.[22]
1885 Moses Shrimpton Worcester County Prison, Worcester
England		 Hanging Died His neck muscles were weak and he was decapitated.[23]
1887 Roxana Druse Herkimer
New York, United States		 Hanging Died The last woman hanged in the state of New York, and the first woman hanged in 40 years in Central New York. Her botched execution did not kill her instantly, further motivating New York officials to replace the gallows with the electric chair in New York.
1890 William Kemmler Auburn State Prison, Auburn
New York, United States		 Electric chair Died The first man to be electrocuted using the electric chair, the execution took eight minutes as blood vessels under the skin ruptured and bled out.[24]

20th century

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Year Name Place of execution Method of execution Outcome Description
1901 Martin Stickles Kalama
Washington, United States		 Hanging Died The drop was miscalculated, causing his neck to be severely lacerated.
1901 Tom "Black Jack" Ketchum Clayton
New Mexico Territory, United States		 Hanging Died The rope used was too long and he was decapitated. This was exacerbated by the fact that he had gained a considerable amount of weight while in custody prior to his execution.
1906 William Williams Ramsey County Jail, Saint Paul
Minnesota, United States		 Hanging Died He hit the floor after dropping through the trap door of the gallows. Three men above had to hold his body up by the rope for over 14 minutes until Williams finally died of strangulation.
1915 Wenceslao Moguel Halachó
Yucatán, Mexico		 Firing squad Survived He was shot nine times before a coup de grâce shot was made. He survived, although he was disfigured; he died in 1976.
1921 Hamilton Fairbanks
Territory of Alaska, United States		 Hanging Died The drop was too long and he was decapitated by the rope.[25][26]
1929 Constantine Beaver Fairbanks
Territory of Alaska, United States		 Hanging Died The drop did not break his neck and he died of strangulation.[27]
1930 Eva Dugan Arizona State Prison, Florence
Arizona, United States		 Hanging Died She was decapitated by the rope.
1930 Gordon Northcott San Quentin State Prison, San Quentin
California, United States		 Hanging Died The rope was too slack to break his neck. It took 13 minutes for him to die from strangulation.[28]
1931 Nathan Burton Florida State Prison, Raiford
Florida, United States		 Electric chair Died 50 seconds into the application of electricity the high-voltage wire connected to Florida's state chair snapped, resulting in an arc flash. Power was cut immediately and the wire was spliced, however the prison physician found Burton to already be dead.[29]
1935 Thomasina Sarao Bordeaux Prison, Montreal
Quebec, Canada		 Hanging Died Her weight was miscalculated and she was decapitated.[30]
1936 Earl Gardner Near Coolidge Dam, San Carlos Apache Indian Reservation
Arizona, United States		 Hanging Died While falling through the trapdoor, his shoulder struck its side, breaking his fall and causing him to strangle for over half an hour.[31] Following the execution, Congress passed a law stating that all federal executions must be carried out using whatever method was used in each state. Previously, all federal executions had to be carried out by hanging on federal territory.[32]
1936 Allen Foster Central Prison, Raleigh
North Carolina, United States		 Gas chamber Died Foster was the first person to be executed in North Carolina's gas chamber. It took him 10 minutes to lose consciousness. His eyes visibly showed signs of suffering and his head rolled back while he was asphyxiating in the hydrocyanic gas. Foster started to violently convulse and continued to do so throughout the 10-minute period that he was conscious, jerking his head forward onto his chest, his eyes bulging, before finally losing consciousness. It took over 12 minutes for him to die.[33]
1946 Some of the Nuremberg executions Nuremberg Prison, Nuremberg
Germany		 Hanging Died It is likely that miscalculations may have led to the executioner using ropes that were too short for some executions, resulting in a failure to break the victim's neck and therefore a slower death from strangulation, although the United States Army denied this. Furthermore, the trapdoor of the gallows had been constructed so small that some condemned struck the sides of the trapdoor during the drop.[34][35]
1946 Ion Antonescu Jilava Prison, Jilava
Romania		 Firing squad Died It took 12 minutes for Antonescu and Constantin Z. Vasiliu [ro] to die. The head of the execution squad used his pistol to finish one man and then a rifle taken from one of the firing-squad gendarmes to finish the other.[36]
1946 Willie Francis St. Martin Parish Jail, St. Martinville
Louisiana, United States		 Electric chair Survived "Gruesome Gertie", Louisiana's portable electric chair, was improperly set up before the execution by an intoxicated guard and inmate, resulting in the current not being strong enough to kill Francis or knock him unconscious. The execution failed as a result and Francis could be heard shouting "Take it off! Take it off! Let me breathe!" by witnesses. He was successfully executed a year later.
1949 Nathuram Godse Ambala Central Jail, Ambala
India		 Hanging Died The rope failed to break his neck, and it took 15 minutes for him to die from strangulation.[37]
1951 Eliseo Mares Utah State Prison, Point of the Mountain
Utah, United States		 Firing squad Died The firing squad missed the intended target on the body, resulting in a prolonged death.[38]
1953 Ethel Rosenberg Sing Sing Prison, Ossining
New York, United States		 Electric chair Died Ethel and Julius Rosenberg were a married couple in New York, convicted of spying for the Soviet Union. Julius's execution was carried out with no complications. Ethel was given three jolts of electricity and after her restraints were removed, doctors determined that she was still alive. She was given two more jolts, with smoke rising from the head electrode, before she was pronounced dead.
1956 James Larry Upton New Mexico State Penitentiary, Santa Fe
New Mexico, United States		 Electric chair Died Upton was the last person to be executed in New Mexico's electric chair before the state abandoned it in favor of the gas chamber. The cap for the head electrode would not fit Upton, so a cap was improvised from a parka for the execution. During his execution, the fur on the parka started billowing smoke and later ignited into flames from the high voltage of electricity.[39]
1962 Arthur Lucas Don Jail, Toronto
Ontario, Canada		 Hanging Died Lucas was one of the last two men to be executed in Canada. He was almost completely decapitated due to the executioner miscalculating his weight.
1963 Julián Grimau Carabanchel Prison, Madrid
Spain		 Firing squad Died The soldiers conducting the firing squad were nervous and botched the execution.[40]
1975 Maru Sira Bogambara Prison, Kandy
Sri Lanka		 Hanging Died He was unconscious during his execution because he was sedated prior with Largactil, an antipsychotic drug, to prevent an escape attempt. During Sira's execution, he was laid down on the trapdoor, causing the rope to not fracture his neck, leading him to strangle.[41]
1979 Ginggaew Lorsoungnern Bang Kwang Central Prison
Nonthaburi Province, Thailand		 Shooting by machine gun Died She survived an initial round of ten shots. Because of Ginggaew's situs inversus, none of the bullets had struck her right-sided heart. After being brought to the morgue, it was discovered that she was still alive. She died after a second round of gunfire.
1982 Frank J. Coppola Virginia State Penitentiary, Richmond
Virginia, United States		 Electric chair Died Coppola's execution was the first in Virginia in twenty years and the first botched execution after 1976. It took two 55-second jolts of electricity to kill him. Witnesses also reported seeing fire emitted from the electrode attached to Coppola's leg.
1983 Jimmy Lee Gray Mississippi State Penitentiary, Parchman
Mississippi, United States		 Gas chamber Died Gray's execution was the first in Mississippi after 1964. He repeatedly banged his head into an iron bar while being gassed. After Gray's execution, head restraints were added onto the iron bar inside of the gas chamber.[42]
1983 John Louis Evans Holman Correctional Facility, Atmore
Alabama, United States		 Electric chair Died Evans's execution was the first in Alabama after 1965. In Alabama's electric chair, "Yellow Mama", it took three charges and 24 minutes for him to die, leaving his body charred and smoldering.
1984 Al-Sadek Hamed Al-Shuwehdy Basketball stadium, Benghazi
Libya		 Hanging Died The drop was too short, causing him to strangle. He died after his legs were pulled by Huda Ben Amer.
1984 Alpha Otis Stephens Georgia Diagnostic and Classification Center, Jackson
Georgia, United States		 Electric chair Died The first charge of two-minute, 2,080-volt electricity administered failed to kill him, and he struggled to breathe for eight minutes before a second charge carried out his death sentence.[43]
1985 Stephen Peter Morin Huntsville Unit, Huntsville
Texas, United States		 Lethal injection Died He had to be probed with needles in his arms and legs for 45 minutes, before a suitable vein could be found.[44]
1985 William Earl Vandiver Indiana State Prison, Michigan City
Indiana, United States		 Electric chair Died He was still breathing after the first jolt of 2,300 volts. It took a total of five jolts and 17 minutes to kill Vandiver. Vandiver's attorney, who had witnessed the execution, described smoke and a burning smell.[45]
1986 Randy Lynn Woolls Huntsville Unit, Huntsville
Texas, United States		 Lethal injection Died He had to help the execution technicians find a useable vein.[46]
1987 Elliot Rod Johnson Huntsville Unit, Huntsville
Texas, United States		 Lethal injection Died His veins collapsed, making the execution take almost an hour.[47]
1988 Raymond Landry Sr Huntsville Unit, Huntsville
Texas, United States		 Lethal injection Died The execution took 40 minutes and 24 minutes for Landry to die. Two minutes into his execution, the syringe came undone from his vein, spraying chemicals across the room, towards the witnesses. It then took 14 minutes for the executioners to reinsert the catheter into his vein. Landry groaned at least once during his execution.[48]
1989 Stephen Albert McCoy Huntsville Unit, Huntsville
Texas, United States		 Lethal injection Died Had a violent reaction to the drugs which caused his chest to heave. In addition, he gasped, choked, and arched his back off the gurney. A witness fainted during the execution.
1989 Horace Franklin Dunkins Jr Holman Correctional Facility, Atmore
Alabama, United States		 Electric chair Died The cables of the electrodes were improperly connected and he survived the first jolt of electricity. After the cables were properly reconnected, he was killed by another jolt. The entire execution took 19 minutes for him to die.[49]
1990 Jesse Joseph Tafero Florida State Prison, Raiford
Florida, United States		 Electric chair Died Florida's electric chair malfunctioned, causing six-inch flames to shoot out of Tafero's head. Three jolts of electricity were required to execute Tafero, in a process that took seven minutes.
1990 Charles Thomas Walker Stateville Correctional Center
Illinois, United States		 Lethal injection Died Walker's execution was the first in Illinois since 1962. During his execution, there was a kink in the IV tubing and the needle was pointed towards his fingers instead of his heart, prolonging his execution.[50]
1990 Wilbert Lee Evans Virginia State Penitentiary, Richmond
Virginia, United States		 Electric chair Died Witnesses observed blood gushing from Evans's eyes, nose, and mouth when the electricity was administered. It took two shocks to execute him.
1991 Derick Lynn Peterson Greensville Correctional Center, Jarratt
Virginia, United States		 Electric chair Died After a cycle of 1,725 volts for 10 seconds, followed by 240 volts for 90 seconds, the prison physician determined that he was still alive. The cycle had to be repeated a second time for Peterson to die.[51]
1992 Rickey Ray Rector Cummins Unit, Grady
Arkansas, United States		 Lethal injection Died It took the execution staff over 50 minutes to find a suitable vein in Rector's arm. Witnesses heard Rector loudly moan eight times throughout his execution. During the ordeal, Rector helped the execution staff find a vein.[52]
1992 Donald Eugene Harding Arizona State Prison, Florence
Arizona, United States		 Gas chamber Died Harding's execution was the first in Arizona since the 1976 Supreme Court reinstatement of the death penalty. His asphyxiation took 11 minutes before death was finally confirmed. Throughout his execution, he had multiple violent convulsions and spasms.
1994 John Wayne Gacy Stateville Correctional Center
Illinois, United States		 Lethal injection Died The chemicals unexpectedly solidified and clogged the IV line; the execution took 18 minutes.[53]
1994 David Scarborough Lawson Central Prison, Raleigh
North Carolina, United States		 Gas chamber Died Lawson's execution was the first gas chamber execution in North Carolina since the Supreme Court ended the moratorium on executions in 1976. During his execution, he screamed "I am human" multiple times with mucus pouring out of his nose, onto his leather blindfold, while he was groaning at the same time. His screams slowly muffled after each minute. Lawson's execution took about 10 minutes until his death and his body still quivered afterwards. North Carolina's gas chamber was only used once more, before being retired.[54][55]
1995 Jerry White Florida State Prison, Raiford
Florida, United States		 Electric chair Died Witnesses reported that when the electricity was first administered, White let out a scream that faded in intensity as the execution continued. In 1999, during hearings for Florida to determine if the electric chair was a constitutional method of execution, a witness said he heard White breathing as the electricity flowed through his body, but he could not tell if White was inhaling or exhaling.[56][57]
1997 Pedro Luis Medina Florida State Prison, Raiford
Florida, United States		 Electric chair Died During his execution in Florida's electric chair, Medina's head burst into twelve-inch crown shaped flames and filled the chamber with smoke.
1997 Zoleykhah Kadkhoda Bukan
West Azerbaijan Province, Iran		 Stoning Survived She was found alive at a morgue after her public stoning.[58]
1999 Allen Lee Davis Florida State Prison, Raiford
Florida, United States		 Electric chair Died Davis was the last person to be executed by electric chair in Florida. He bled profusely from the nose while being electrocuted, and he suffered burns to his head, leg, and groin area. His execution caused an uproar and Florida switched to lethal injection as their primary execution method. The electric chair became only a secondary method of execution in Florida and the rest of the states that allow it.

21st century

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Year Name Place of execution Method of execution Outcome Description
2000 Bennie Demps Florida State Prison, Raiford
Florida, United States		 Lethal injection Died While Demps was strapped to the gurney, the execution team took more than 30 minutes to insert the IV drips due to the difficulty of finding suitable veins, and Demps exclaimed to witnesses and his lawyer that he was being "butchered" by prison officers and accused them of cutting him in the leg and groin. The delay led to the execution taking nearly an hour to be finally carried out, and Demps was pronounced dead at 6:53pm.[59][60]
2006 Joseph Lewis Clark Southern Ohio Correctional Facility, Lucasville
Ohio, United States		 Lethal injection Died The execution took nearly 90 minutes. According to prison officials his vein had collapsed. Clark's arm began to swell, and witnesses heard Clark saying, "It don't work!" at least five times. It took another 30 minutes to find a new vein while witnesses heard "groans, screams and guttural noises."[61]
2006 Ángel Nieves Díaz Florida State Prison, Raiford
Florida, United States		 Lethal injection Died He needed a second dose of drugs to be executed. The full process took approximately 34 minutes as opposed to the usual 7.5 minutes. A post-mortem examination revealed that Díaz's IVs were improperly inserted past his veins into his subcutaneous soft tissue.
2007 Barzan Ibrahim al-Tikriti Camp Justice, Kadhimiya, Baghdad
Iraq		 Hanging Died He was decapitated as a result of an error in the calculations resulting in him being dropped too far.
2009 Romell Broom Southern Ohio Correctional Facility, Lucasville
Ohio, United States		 Lethal injection Survived Cried in pain after being pierced by needles 18 times. The execution was called off after two hours.[62] A second execution was scheduled for 2022, but he died in prison in 2020 before it could be carried out.
2013 Alireza M Bojnourd Prison, Bojnourd
Iran		 Hanging Survived He was found alive at a morgue after hanging for 12 minutes.[63]
2014 Dennis McGuire Southern Ohio Correctional Facility, Lucasville
Ohio, United States		 Lethal injection Died Executed using a new, untried and untested lethal drug combination and took over 25 minutes to die.
2014 Clayton Lockett Oklahoma State Penitentiary, McAlester
Oklahoma, United States		 Lethal injection Died Was observed convulsing and attempting to speak for 43 minutes after the drugs were administered. Ultimately died of a heart attack.
2014 Joseph Wood Arizona State Prison Complex – Florence, Florence
Arizona, United States		 Lethal injection Died Instead of the usual ten minutes with one dose being sufficient to kill him, he underwent a two-hour injection procedure in which he was injected with the drug cocktail 15 times.
2016 Ronald Bert Smith Jr Holman Correctional Facility, Atmore
Alabama, United States		 Lethal injection Died He coughed and heaved for 13 minutes, and moved during consciousness checks.[64]
2017 Alva Campbell Southern Ohio Correctional Facility, Lucasville
Ohio, United States		 Lethal injection Survived Executioners were unable to find a suitable vein. A second attempt was scheduled for 2019, but he died in prison from natural causes in 2018.
2018 Doyle Lee Hamm Holman Correctional Facility, Atmore
Alabama, United States		 Lethal injection Survived Was stabbed with needles for more than two and a half hours as the execution team tried to locate a suitable vein. The execution failed. The State of Alabama later agreed not to attempt to execute him again as part of a confidential settlement, thus de facto commuting his sentence to life imprisonment without parole. He died of cancer in prison in 2021.
2020 Wesley Ira Purkey United States Penitentiary, Terre Haute
Indiana, United States		 Lethal injection Died His autopsy results showed that he suffered from a flash pulmonary edema, which feels like drowning while still alive.
2021 John Marion Grant Oklahoma State Penitentiary, McAlester
Oklahoma, United States		 Lethal injection Died Most witnesses observed Grant convulsing, straining against his restraints, struggling to breathe, and vomiting. He took 21 minutes to die. His autopsy showed that the execution drugs caused him to suffer a flash pulmonary edema.
2022 Joe Nathan James Jr. William C. Holman Correctional Facility, Atmore
Alabama, United States		 Lethal injection Died His execution took three hours to complete. An autopsy showed that prison officials had difficulty inserting IVs into James's body, resorting to attempting to establish IV lines in his knuckles and inadvertently puncturing his muscles. James's execution was the longest known completed botched execution in American history.[65][66][67]
2022 Alan Eugene Miller William C. Holman Correctional Facility, Atmore
Alabama, United States		 Lethal injection Survived Miller claimed that he filed paperwork requesting Alabama's new and unused execution method of nitrogen hypoxia, but officials were not ready to carry out an execution by hypoxia and claimed that they did not have his paperwork, so he was subjected to lethal injection. For over two hours, prison officials attempted to establish an IV line 18 times before calling off the execution due to the midnight deadline for Miller's execution warrant approaching. Afterwards, Alabama officials agreed to never again subject Miller to lethal injection and that he could only be put to death by nitrogen hypoxia.[68][69] He was executed on September 26, 2024, via nitrogen hypoxia.[70]
2022 Kenneth Eugene Smith William C. Holman Correctional Facility, Atmore
Alabama, United States		 Lethal injection Survived Smith was strapped to the execution gurney, multiple attempts were made to put an IV into his arms, and he was repeatedly stabbed with the needle in his collarbone. Prison officials called off the execution; Smith remained strapped to the gurney and was not immediately alerted to the fact that he was not to be executed that night. Smith's attempted execution prompted Alabama governor Kay Ivey to temporarily suspend the death penalty in Alabama to allow for an investigation into the state's botched lethal injections. On January 25, 2024, Smith was executed by nitrogen hypoxia.[71][72]
2024 Thomas Eugene Creech Idaho Maximum Security Institution, Kuna
Idaho, United States		 Lethal injection Survived The execution was called off after the medical team failed to establish an IV line for the lethal injection drugs.[73]
2025 Mikal Mahdi Broad River Correctional Institution, Columbia
South Carolina, United States		 Firing squad Died The firing squad missed the intended target on his body, resulting in a prolonged death.[74]
2025 Anthony Todd Boyd William C. Holman Correctional Facility, Atmore
Alabama, United States		 Nitrogen hypoxia Died Boyd struggled for over 30 minutes with the gas still flowing while strapped onto the gurney, gasping for air about 200 times, prolonging his death.[1]
2026 Tony Von Carruthers Riverbend Maximum Security Institution, Nashville
Tennessee, United States		 Lethal injection Survived The medical team successfully established a primary IV line but could not find a suitable vein for a backup line, and the execution was called off. The attempted execution prompted Tennessee governor Bill Lee to grant a temporary 1-year-long reprieve to Carruthers.[75]
2026 Christa Pike Riverbend Maximum Security Institution, Nashville
Tennessee, United States		 Lethal injection Survived After the initial injection, she was reported as saying that her arm felt like it was going to "burst open."[76] The medical team administered second dose of pentobarbital, spaced apart, but that did not stop her heart.[77] Pike was transported to an off-site medical facility after the failure of both doses.[78] As a result of the botched executions of both Pike and Carruthers (see above) and the singularity of Pike's survival,[77] Tennessee governor Bill Lee paused all executions scheduled for 2026 to allow for a third-party review of Pike's execution and Tennessee's lethal injection protocols.[78]

Further reading

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References

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  1. 1 2 "Botched Executions". Death Penalty Information Center.
  2. ↑ "Executions do not always go to plan - here are 8 times it went horribly wrong..." Sky HISTORY.
  3. ↑ "Are these the worst botched executions in history?". HistoryExtra.
  4. ↑ "1541: Margaret Pole, Countess of Salisbury". ExecutedToday.com. May 27, 2013.
  5. ↑ Dimuro, Gina (February 5, 2018). "The Grisly, Botched Execution of Mary, Queen of Scots". All That's Interesting.
  6. ↑ Ketch, Jack (1683). The apologie of John Ketch, Esq., the executioner of London, in vindication of himself as to the execution of the late Lord Russel, on July 21, 1683.
  7. ↑ "Wayback Machine" (PDF). www.hrp.org.uk. Archived from the original (PDF) on March 27, 2009. Retrieved March 26, 2026. {{cite web}}: Cite uses generic title (help)
  8. ↑ "Back in the Day: The legend of Half-hangit Maggie Dickson". The National. August 30, 2020. Retrieved November 15, 2024.
  9. ↑ A Primer on Crime and Delinquency Theory, Robert M. Bohm, Brenda Vogel, page 15, books.Google.com Retrieved 20 November 2015
  10. ↑ Brown, Stephen E.; Esbensen, Finn-Aage; Geis, Gilbert (July 3, 2015). Criminology: Explaining Crime and Its Context. Routledge. p. 157. ISBN 9781317311980. Retrieved November 20, 2015.
  11. ↑ Burkhead, Michael Dow (August 6, 2009). A Life for a Life: The American Debate Over the Death Penalty. McFarland. pp. 41–2. ISBN 9780786433681. Retrieved November 20, 2015.
  12. ↑ "Twice Tried, Twice Hung, Twice Buried". sniff.numachi.com. Retrieved November 8, 2011.
  13. 1 2 Miller, Rudy (July 19, 2018). "See a bird's-eye view of Getter's Island, now for sale in Easton". lehighvalleylive.com. Archived from the original on October 30, 2021. Getter felt it would be less agonizing to be pulled up by the noose than dropped through a trap door. So authorities strung the rope through a pulley and tied one end to a heavy weight. When the weight dropped, the rope broke. "That was good for nothing," Getter reportedly said. The second time Getter's body moved for several minutes. It was cut down after 30 minutes.
  14. ↑ "The Death Penalty in Wisconsin". Wisconsin Historical Society. August 3, 2012. Retrieved May 23, 2025.
  15. ↑ "Guernsey's last execution didn't go according to plan". history.gg. February 10, 1972.
  16. ↑ "1860: James Stephens". Executed Today. February 3, 2020. Retrieved March 5, 2024.
  17. ↑ Tórrez 2008, p. 132.
  18. ↑ Tórrez, Robert J (2008). Myth of the Hanging Tree: Stories of Crime and Punishment in Territorial New Mexico. Albuquerque: University of New Mexico Press. p. 133. ISBN 978-0-8263-4379-6. OCLC 165082675.
  19. ↑ "Scopes Trial Home Page - UMKC School of Law". law2.umkc.edu. Retrieved March 26, 2026.
  20. ↑ "An Execution". The Telegraph. Brisbane, Qld. June 9, 1879. p. 2. Retrieved October 6, 2026 – via Trove.
  21. ↑ "An Execution". The Week. Brisbane, Qld. June 14, 1879. p. 11. Retrieved October 6, 2026 – via Trove.
  22. ↑ Berry, James (1892). Ward, H. Snowden (ed.). My Experiences as an Executioner (PDF). London: Percy Lund & Co. pp. 32–33.
  23. ↑ "Moses Shrimpton". britishexecutions.co.uk.
  24. ↑ "Far Worse Than Hanging". The New York Times. August 7, 1890.
  25. ↑ Green, Melissa S. (Winter 2009). "The Death Penalty in Alaska". Alaska Justice Forum. 25 (4). University of Alaska Anchorage: 11. hdl:11122/3206. Retrieved March 5, 2024.
  26. ↑ Green, Melissa S. (July 20, 2001). "A History of the Death Penalty in Alaska". Justice Center - University of Alaska Anchorage. Archived from the original on February 25, 2014. Retrieved March 5, 2024.
  27. ↑ "Black Sheep of Alaska". AlaskaWeb.
  28. ↑ "MFDJ 06/14/2020: The Fool Defending Himself". Decidedly Grim. June 14, 2020. Retrieved March 21, 2022.
  29. ↑ Sarat, Austin (April 30, 2014). Gruesome Spectacles: Botched Executions and America's Death Penalty. Stanford University Press. ISBN 978-0-8047-9172-4.
  30. ↑ "1935: Thomasina Sarao, miscalculated". Executed Today. March 29, 2010. Retrieved February 3, 2024.
  31. ↑ "1936: Earl Gardner". Executed Today. July 12, 2015. Retrieved March 5, 2024.
  32. ↑ Lofquist, Bill (March 5, 2021). "Earl Gardner". The Federal Death Penalty Project. Retrieved May 2, 2025.
  33. ↑ Margolick, David (November 7, 2005). "'Save me, Joe Louis!'". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved January 14, 2024.
  34. ↑ Time magazine coverage, 28 October 1946, p. 34.
  35. ↑ Joseph Kingsbury-Smith. "The Execution of Nazi War Criminals". Archived 21 September 2012 at the Wayback Machine. Eyewitness Report; accessed 14 March 2018.
  36. ↑ "Execution of Ion Antonescu 1946". YouTube. June 12, 2012.
  37. ↑ Nash, Jay Robert (1981), Almanac of World Crime, New York: Rowman & Littlefield, p. 69, ISBN 978-1-4617-4768-0
  38. ↑ "Brad Sigmon Executed by Firing Squad in South Carolina". Equal Justice Initiative. July 3, 2025. Archived from the original on November 10, 2025. Retrieved March 9, 2026.
  39. ↑ Allan, M (2001). "Capital Punishment or Compassion - Executions in the State of New Mexico: The Death Penalty Since Territorial Days". Angelo State University Digital Repository. Retrieved January 14, 2024.
  40. ↑ "1963: Julian Grimau, the last casualty of the Spanish Civil War". Executed Today. April 20, 2014. Retrieved January 14, 2024.
  41. ↑ Ranasinghe, Anne (May 3, 2003). "A case against the noose". Archived from the original on September 30, 2007. Retrieved March 6, 2024.
  42. ↑ Macdonald, Neil (November 7, 2007). "Might we make executions more civilized, please?". CBC News. Archived from the original on November 5, 2012. Retrieved November 20, 2020.
  43. ↑ Carter, Claire (November 10, 2017). "Hideous botched death row executions – including man whose head caught fire". Daily Mirror.
  44. ↑ "Murderer of three women is executed in Texas". New York Times. March 14, 1985. Retrieved March 5, 2024.
  45. ↑ "Killer's Electrocution Takes 17 Minutes in Indiana Chair". The Washington Post. October 17, 1985. Retrieved January 14, 2024.
  46. ↑ "Killer Lends a Hand to Find a Vein for Execution". Los Angeles Times. August 20, 1986. Retrieved March 5, 2024.
  47. ↑ "Addict Is Executed in Texas For Slaying of 2 in Robbery". New York Times. June 25, 1987. Retrieved March 5, 2024.
  48. ↑ Schlangenstein, Mary (December 13, 1988). "The execution early Tuesday of Raymond Landry was interrupted..." UPI. Retrieved March 5, 2024.
  49. ↑ Applebome, Peter (July 15, 1989). "2 Electric Jolts in Alabama Execution". New York Times. Retrieved January 30, 2024.
  50. ↑ Ellis, Ralph (July 27, 2014). "Chemical mix and human error lead to controversial executions". CNN. Retrieved March 5, 2024.
  51. ↑ Taylor, Joe (August 23, 1991). "Va. killer executed for 1982 murder". The Washington Post. Retrieved January 30, 2024.
  52. ↑ "Rickey Ray Rector (Execution of)". Encyclopedia of Arkansas. Retrieved March 5, 2024.
  53. ↑ Seideman, David (May 23, 1994). "A Twist Before Dying". Time. Archived from the original on June 4, 2013. Retrieved January 14, 2010.
  54. ↑ Lewis, Libby (June 15, 1994). "David Lawson put to death / 'I am human!' killer declares". Greensboro News and Record. Retrieved January 31, 2024.
  55. ↑ Seitz, Katrina (April 18, 2001). "The Transition of Execution Methods in North Carolina". Virginia Tech. Retrieved January 31, 2024.
  56. ↑ Salamone, Debbie (December 5, 1995). "Jerry White Pays Ultimate Price For '81 Murder". Orlando Sentinel. pp. A1 – via Newspapers.com.
  57. ↑ "Order Upholding Constitutionality of the Electric Chair". Florida Department of Corrections. August 3, 1999. Archived from the original on April 4, 2014. Retrieved May 21, 2022.
  58. ↑ "Iran: Further information on death penalty: Zoleykhah Kadkhoda (f)". Amnesty International. November 4, 1997. Retrieved April 5, 2024.
  59. ↑ "Problems With Lethal Injection". ABC News. January 7, 2006.
  60. ↑ "Flames, missed veins, Florida's most notorious botched executions". Tallahassee Democrat. October 1, 2026.
  61. ↑ "Ohio Execution Problems Raise Qualms - CBS News". www.cbsnews.com. May 3, 2006. Retrieved October 3, 2026.
  62. ↑ "Convicted murderer Romell Broom survived one execution but he now faces a second". TheJournal.ie. Associated Press. March 16, 2016.
  63. ↑ "Alireza M., 'executed' once, wins reprieve in Iran". CNN. CNN. October 23, 2013. Retrieved April 5, 2024.
  64. ↑ "Alabama inmate heaves and coughs during lethal injection". BBC. December 9, 2016. Archived from the original on August 21, 2025.
  65. ↑ "Alabama subjected prisoner to 'three hours of pain' during execution – report". The Guardian. August 15, 2022. Archived from the original on May 22, 2023. Retrieved May 22, 2023.
  66. ↑ "Family Sues Alabama Over Longest Known Execution in U.S. History". Death Penalty Information Center. Archived from the original on May 22, 2023. Retrieved May 22, 2023.
  67. ↑ Bruenig, Elizabeth (August 14, 2022). "Dead to Rights". The Atlantic. Retrieved October 23, 2022.
  68. ↑ "Alabama Attorney General: There Is No "Moratorium" on the Death Penalty". Death Penalty Information Center. December 9, 2022. Archived from the original on May 22, 2023. Retrieved May 22, 2023.
  69. ↑ "Alabama Drops Lethal Injection for Alan Miller, But May Attempt Execution with Nitrogen Gas". Death Penalty Information Center. November 30, 2022. Archived from the original on May 22, 2023. Retrieved May 22, 2023.
  70. ↑ Chandler, Kim (September 27, 2024). "Alabama puts man convicted of killing 3 to death in the country's second nitrogen gas execution". Associated Press. Retrieved September 27, 2024.
  71. ↑ "Kenneth Smith Describes Alabama's Failed Attempt to Execute Him". Death Penalty Information Center. January 18, 2023. Archived from the original on May 22, 2023. Retrieved May 22, 2023.
  72. ↑ "Kenneth Eugene Smith: Alabama carries out first US nitrogen gas execution". BBC. January 25, 2024. Archived from the original on January 26, 2024. Retrieved January 26, 2024.
  73. ↑ McCauley, Cooper (February 28, 2024). "No Execution: Thomas Creech execution unable to proceed after trouble placing IV line". KIVI-TV. Retrieved March 3, 2024.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link)
  74. ↑ Ali, Anumta (May 13, 2025). "Lawyers Raise Concern as Autopsy Finds South Carolina's Second Firing Squad Execution May Have Been Botched". Death Penalty Information Center. Archived from the original on February 26, 2026. Retrieved March 9, 2026.
  75. ↑ Keller, Sydney (May 21, 2026). "Gov. Lee delays execution of Tony Von Carruthers for one year after initial halt". WZTV. Retrieved May 21, 2026.
  76. ↑ Fiscus, Amanda Lee Myers and Kirsten. "Christa Pike taken to hospital after Tennessee fails to carry out execution". USA TODAY. Retrieved October 1, 2026.
  77. 1 2 Hall, Kristin (October 1, 2026). "Tennessee unable to carry out the execution by lethal injection of Christa Gail Pike, witnesses say". AP. Retrieved October 1, 2026.
  78. 1 2 "Gov. Lee orders review after botched Christa Pike execution: Updates". The Tennessean. September 30, 2026. Retrieved October 1, 2026.
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