Death row arkansas. [9] While awaiting execution on Arkansas' death row, Jones's DNA was entered into CODIS, the nationwide DNA database. Spring 2022, a report by the Legal Defense Fund, 29 people were on death row in Arkansas as of April 1, 2022 - the 15th most among states. at the Varner Supermax in Gould, according to the Arkansas Department of Corrections. Jan 30, 1997 · Mr. Death row in Arkansas is a significant aspect of the state's criminal justice system, reserved for those convicted of the most serious crimes. After the murder Justin Anderson attempted to rob her home. Mar 25, 2025 · Arkansas could be the next state to put a person to death using nitrogen gas. Apr 2, 2025 · A convicted murderer who was the longest-serving inmate on Arkansas' death row has died of natural causes. [11] There have been at least three death penalty volunteers in Arkansas: Ronald Gene Simmons, Christina Marie Riggs, and Clay King Smith. Apr 2, 2025 · Officials with the Arkansas Department of Corrections said death row inmate Bruce Ward died Tuesday. Sanders says she's not in a rush to resume executions in Arkansas. The longest-standing death row inmate in Arkansas has died while in a state prison, according to the Arkansas Department of Corrections. Ward was on death row for 35 years after being Download DOC LITTLE ROCK – A federal judge upheld the constitutionality of lethal injection procedures used in Arkansas for carrying out the death penalty. [7] Varner is one of the state of Arkansas's "parent units" for male prisoners; it serves as one of several units of initial assignment for processed male prisoners. The state Department of Corrections said Ward was pronounced dead Tuesday from natural causes. Dec 4, 2024 · Findlaw explains Arkansas' death penalty laws, including a list of capital crimes and a history of the death penalty in the state. Reams received the death penalty while his co-defendant – who was the shooter in this case – was allowed to plead guilty in exchange for a life sentence. She confessed to the killing of her two children Apr 3, 2025 · LITTLE ROCK, Ark. Since 1820, a total of 505 individuals have been executed. As a member of the West Memphis Three, Echols spent nearly two decades on death row in Arkansas — accused of the 1993 murder of three An in-depth photo essay of when Arkansas attempted to execute eight death row prisoners in the span of 10 days. Christina Marie Riggs Capital Punishment USA Christina Marie Riggs is unique among the women on these pages in that she insisted on her execution, which took place on the 3rd of May 2000. Eric Reid would shoot his wife three times and her daughter four times causing their deaths. 25 caliber pistol into his chest. [1] The number of death row inmates changes frequently with new convictions, appellate decisions overturning conviction or sentence alone, commutations, or deaths (through execution or otherwise). Jun 6, 2023 · LITTLE ROCK, Ark. Those convicted of rape were also subject to the death penalty until January Apr 1, 2025 · Bruce Ward, Arkansas’ longest-serving death row inmate, died Tuesday, the state Department of Corrections announced. In April 2017, the state planned to execute eight death row inmates before the stocks of the sedative midazolam expired at the end of April, but ultimately only four were put to death that month. LITTLE ROCK, Ark. The Arkansas Department of Corrections announced Bruce Ward died of natural causes around 4:30 p. They said Jones wrote a letter to his sister while on death row in Arkansas in 2006 or Mar 18, 2025 · Arkansas currently has 25 people on death row. (KNWA/KFTA) — The longest-standing death row inmate in Arkansas has died while in a state prison, according to the Arkansas Department of Corrections. Mar 19, 2025 · The measure signed into law by the Republican governor has been promoted by supporters as a way to carry out executions for the first time in eight years. The expedited schedule was set in a rush to use the state’s supply of eight doses of midazolam before they expired at the end of April 2017. Hood also explained how the execution methods can occur without causing other complications. The high court ruled 6-1 to not set aside precedent and consider the cumulative effect of all the alleged errors in Lacy’s trial. Anderson has been waiting on death row since the Arkansas Apr 4, 2025 · After the natural passing of 35-year Arkansas death row inmate Bruce Earl Ward, former Arkansas Governor Asa Hutchinson, is sharing his thoughts as the person who ordered his execution eight years Jan 24, 2025 · A man held on Arkansas's death row after being convicted of a 1993 quadruple murder in Jacksonville died in prison Thursday, an Arkansas Department of Corrections spokesperson said. She was the first woman to be executed in Arkansas, since the state took over responsibility for executions in 1913 and only the fifth nation-wide since 1977. According to court documents Jack Greene was confronted by the retired pastor regarding an arson in the preceding days. Featuring up to the minute breaking news and the most in-depth Razorback, business, and Jun 7, 2025 · Arkansas death row inmate Latavious Johnson died of unknown causes at the Varner SuperMax prison on Friday afternoon, according to the state's department of corrections. The Arkansas criminal code provides for the death penalty or life without parole upon conviction of capital murder or treason. Mar 13, 2021 · Arkansas Death Row for men is at the Varner Supermax Unit and the Arkansas Death Row for women is at the McPherson Unit. Aug 19, 2011 · Damien Echols was freed from death row and two codefendants were freed from prison in Arkansas on August 19 after almost two decades of maintaining their innocence for the murder of three children in 1993. Apr 11, 2017 · Damien Echols has nightmares about being back in Arkansas. Arkansas has not had an execution since 2017, when it put four people to death before a sedative used in its lethal injection protocol expired. In December 1993, Kenneth Reams was sentenced to die for a murder another man admitted committing. According to the Arkansas Department of Correction, as of September 10, 2024, a total of 26 men were under a sentence of death in the state. Four states allow execution by nitrogen gas — Alabama, Louisiana, Mississippi and Oklahoma. Jun 7, 2023 · An appellate court has ruled that Stacey Johnson, an Arkansas death row inmate who narrowly dodged execution in 2017, can sue the state in an effort to prove his innocence. Apr 2, 2025 · LITTLE ROCK, Ark. His lawyers said he was intellectually disabled, but the US Supreme Court rejected his last appeal. Jack Greene would Apr 24, 2017 · Death row inmate Marcel Williams made his plea to spare his life to the Arkansas Parole Board on Monday morning at Arkansas Department of Correction"s Varner Unit. In the eyes of Arkansas law, an accomplice to a felony resulting in murder is as culpable as the murderer himself. Apr 29, 2017 · A rundown of the execution of Arkansas death row inmate Kenneth Williams as told by state authorities and media witnesses. Some of them had found an immense peace that eludes many of us in the free world, and they wanted to share it purely out of gratitude for having found it. Bruce Ward is the longest serving death row inmate in Arkansas Apr 28, 2017 · Actor Johnny Depp, prominent death-penalty opponent Sister Helen Prejean and former Arkansas death-row inmate Damien Echols were among those who criticized the plan. Mar 12, 2021 · Eric Reid was sentenced to death by the State of Arkansas for the murders of his wife and daughter. Death row Benton County has three men on Arkansas’ death row. The state initially tried to execute eight. My Crime Library Jun 16, 2024 · Hood says witnessing executions makes him feel 'like a murderer' In 2022, the Supreme Court ruled that spiritual advisers must be allowed into execution chambers if death row inmates want them. Jerry Lard Apr 3, 2025 · The longest serving inmate now on Arkansas’ death now is Don Davis, who was sentenced in 1992 for killing a northwest Arkansas woman after breaking into her home. According to court documents the victim, sixty seven year old Mattie Basinger, was found dead in her home. At the time of the murders Mickey Thomas was facing charges of sexual assault in another part of the Jun 24, 2008 · LAFAYETTE COUNTY, AR (KSLA) - A convicted Lafayette County killer wants a new trial. The State of Arkansas execution chamber is located in the Cummins Unit, adjacent to the location of the male death row, the Varner Unit. Unique circumstances caused him to be the last Arkansas Apr 2, 2025 · Bruce Ward, a convicted murderer who was the longest-serving inmate on Arkansas' death row, has died, the state Department of Corrections said. According to court documents Jerry Lard was pulled over by Police Officer Jonathan Schmidt. A group of inmates on death row had challenged the protocol used for capital punishment, arguing that it violated constitutional prohibitions against cruel and unusual punishment. Benton County last had a murderer executed in August 1996 when Frankie Parker was put to death for killing his former in-laws and holding his ex-wife hostage in 1984 in Rogers. The woman had been stabbed multiple times. The Arkansas Division of Correction provides fair, firm, consistent and superior correctional services as mandated by the courts. Jun 7, 2025 · LITTLE ROCK, Ark. According to court documents Mickey Thomas who was in the middle of a crime spree would enter the Cornerstone Monument Co. The State of Arkansas uses lethal injection for their executions. On March 18 Gov. The female death row is located at the McPherson Unit. Mar 12, 2021 · Don Davis More News Arkansas police said Friday a death row inmate whose execution was halted last year was taken to the hospital after prison officials told investigators he had attempted suicide. An Arkansas State Police spokesman said investigators responded Thursday afternoon to a report of an attempted suicide by convicted murderer Don Davis. Mar 12, 2021 · Mickey Thomas was sentenced to death by the State of Arkansas for the murder of two women during a robbery. A second test was conducted at the state crime lab in Arkansas, which conclusively proved that Jack Jones was the perpetrator. He was 68. When the Officer approached the car Jerry Lard would shoot him in the head, Lard would get out of his car shooting the officer twice more before grabbing the Officers gun to fire the last shot. Bruce Ward would be arrested at the scene, be convicted and sentenced to death. At 18 years old, he became the youngest convict on Arkansas death row. Jun 25, 2025 · The death penalty was practiced in Arkansas even before the state was admitted to the Union in 1836, with the first legally sanctioned execution reportedly occurring at Arkansas Post in 1820. (KAIT) - Arkansas’s longest-standing death row inmate has died. m. Apr 17, 2017 · Arkansas is fighting to execute seven inmates before a key drug used in lethal injections expires. Apr 2, 2025 · PINE BLUFF, Ark. Arkansas Department Of Corrections list their death row inmates by time spent on death row with the longest listed first. May 10, 2021 · In 2017, the state of Arkansas announced a frenzied pace of executions — planning eight in 11 days — beginning with Ledell Lee, who insisted until his death by lethal injection that "I am an Dec 19, 2024 · John Edward Swindler was a habitual and violent criminal who was executed on June 18, 1990, for the 1976 murder of on-duty Fort Smith (Sebastian County) patrolman Randy Basnett. Justin Anderson was convicted in the 2000 murder of 87-year-old Clara Creech, the mother-in-law of former Arkansas lawmaker Russ Bennett of Lewisville. The death of 37-year-old Ronald Ward Apr 2, 2025 · LITTLE ROCK, Ark. [2] Due to this fluctuation as well as lag and inconsistencies in inmate reporting procedures across Apr 20, 2017 · A week ago, Arkansas planned to execute seven men in 11 days. Here are their photos, and the crimes they were convicted of. Mar 10, 2025 · Nitrogen hypoxia, a method of execution Arkansas lawmakers are considering adopting, makes for a torturous death, witnesses say. May 31, 2025 · The longest-standing inmate on Arkansas’ death row, Ward was convicted and received a death sentence in October of 1990 following the 1989 death of Rebecca Doss. [10] The female death row is located at the McPherson Unit. Lethal injection is no longer an option because pharmaceutical companies won’t sell . Sep 7, 2024 · The state of Arkansas has a storied history with its criminal justice system, particularly concerning its death row inmates. He then shot and killed another man and Ricky Ray Rector (January 12, 1950 – January 24, 1992) was an American convicted murderer who was executed for the 1981 murder of police officer Bob Martin in Conway, Arkansas. (AP) — Bruce Ward, a convicted murderer who was the longest-serving inmate on Arkansas’ death row, has died, the state Department of Corrections said. Ledell Lee was put to death late Thursday, and three more men are scheduled to be executed. Arkansas currently has 25 people on death row. Oct 12, 2017 · A three-judge panel rejected arguments from Arkansas state officials that they could not be sued by a prisoner on death row, Stacey Eugene Johnson. The Arkansas Department of Corrections has no position on the bill, he said. According to court documents Justin Anderson fatally shot the victim, eighty-seven-year-old Clara Creech, who was found dead in the front yard of her home. (Photo: Arkansas Department of Nov 22, 2022 · According to Death Row U. Jack Greene would respond to the allegations by bashing his head with the can of hominy, cut him from mouth to ear, and fired a . Feb 27, 2025 · Twenty-six inmates are currently on death row in Arkansas, and a number of them are eligible for execution because they’ve exhausted their legal options, Wardlaw said. The state Apr 1, 2025 · The longest-standing inmate on Arkansas' death row has died of natural causes. His other daughter would phone 911 and Eric Reid would be arrested, convicted and Mar 12, 2021 · Jerry Lard was sentenced to death by the State of Arkansas for the murder of a police officer. Tuesday Mar 18, 2025 · Sanders signed the law hours before Louisiana executed its first inmate with the nitrogen gas method. Jun 7, 2025 · Arkansas death row inmate Latavious Johnson died of unknown causes at the Varner SuperMax prison on Friday afternoon, according to the state’s department of corrections. Kenneth Williams, 38, killed two people after escaping from a maximum-security prison where he was serving life for murdering a cheerleader. A. See full list on deathpenaltyinfo. Johnson was previously serving a life sentence Jul 20, 2021 · Arkansas has put to death its fourth inmate within a week after a dozen years without a single execution. Apr 2, 2025 · Bruce Ward, a convicted murderer who was the longest-serving inmate on Arkansas’ death row, has died, the state Department of Corrections said. where he would fatally shoot two women inside of the store. The following is a list of people executed by the U. May 31, 2025 · Learn more information for and about the inmates with in the Arkansas Division of Correction including death row, commissary lists and more. In the period between the issuance of their death warrants and the The Varner Unit, pictured here, houses the State of Arkansas death row for men Capital punishment is a legal penalty in the U. S. Currently, 26 individuals from across the state await their fate within the lethal injection chamber at Varner Super Max in Grady. Kenneth Dewayne Williams (February 23, 1979 – April 27, 2017) [1] was an American serial killer who killed four people in Arkansas and Missouri. Mar 12, 2021 · Billy Thessing was sentenced to death by the State of Arkansas for the murder of an elderly woman. He was the first Arkansas death row inmate executed following reinstatement of the death penalty in 1977 (the last execution before Swindler had been in 1964). The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette is the largest source for award-winning news and opinion that matters to you. One of Billy Thessing friends would go to the police and tell them of Thessing involvement. 31 people have been executed in Arkansas since 1976: 30 males and 1 female (Christina Marie Riggs). state of Arkansas since 1976, when the Supreme Court reinstated the death penalty in the United States. (AP) — A federal appeals court has ruled that an Arkansas inmate on death row can sue the state in his effort to have new tests run on DNA evidence that could clear him. According to court documents Bruce Ward would enter a convenience store where he would sexually assault the teenager clerk before killing her by strangulation. Arkansas has a long history with capital punishment, and the procedures and facilities associated with death row are specifically designed to manage and execute these sentences. Mar 12, 2021 · Bruce Ward was sentenced to death by the State of Arkansas for the murder of a store clerk. But attorneys for Bruce Ward, one of the men on the Operations: Death Row; GED Program; Mental Health Classes; Principles and Applications for Life (PAL) Program; Regional Maintenance; Substance Abuse Treatment Programs; Think Legacy Program; and Vo-Tech Mar 22, 2019 · Prosecutors in Florida announced that they have linked Jack Jones to the murder of Regina Harrison in 1983. Justin Anderson was convicted and sentenced to death. Apr 18, 2025 · After having signed legislation allowing the use of nitrogen gas to put inmates to death, Gov. As of April 1, 2025, there were 2,067 death row inmates in the United States, including 46 women. (AP) - A man who was the youngest person on death row in Arkansas when he entered the prison system 21 years ago died in a prison hospital today. — Latavious Johnson, a 43-year-old death row inmate, died on Friday, June 6, according to the Arkansas Department of Corrections. Arkansas is now the fifth state to approve the method. According to court documents Eric Reid was involved with an argument with his wife after they returned from eating out. Apr 2, 2025 · Local News Arkansas death row inmate Bruce Ward dies in prison Bruce Ward, who was given a death sentence for the murder of 18-year-old Rebecca Doss in 1990, has died while in an Arkansas prison. List of juveniles executed in the United States since 1976 List of most recent executions by jurisdiction List of people executed in the United States in 2025 List of people executed in Texas, 2020–present List of women executed in the United States since 1976 List of death row inmates in the United States who have exhausted their appeals Jun 29, 2007 · PINE BLUFF, Ark. Jun 9, 2025 · An Arkansas inmate who spent more than a decade on death row died on Friday afternoon from an unknown cause, according to a spokesperson for the Arkansas Department of Corrections. Officials said Bruce May 31, 2025 · Learn more about Executions from 1913 until present day within the Arkansas Department of Corrections here. Both men are scheduled Apr 27, 2022 · The execution spree, scheduled to consist of four sets of double executions, was the first time Arkansas had conducted executions since 2005. Arkansas Death Row Inmate List Apr 27, 2017 · Arkansas executed convicted killer Kenneth Williams on Thursday, who was the fourth inmate put to death in the state in a little more than a week. Billy Thessing would be arrested, convicted and Mar 6, 2025 · A bill to authorize nitrogen gas as an execution method in Arkansas is picking up steam at the state capitol after the House passed it on a 67-23 vote on Tuesda Apr 29, 2019 · The men we served on Arkansas’ death row didn’t dwell on their pasts or blame others for their crimes. He had been held on death row at the Varner SuperMax unit in Gould, located 67 miles (108 kilometers) south of Little Feb 21, 2025 · There are currently 25 inmates on Arkansas’s death row and all have been convicted of capital murder. However, instead of giving himself up, he shot the police officer who had negotiated his Mar 10, 2025 · Given the legal challenges and the unavailability of drugs, there’s a decent chance that none of the 25 men on death row in Arkansas — some of whom have been there since the 1990s — will ever face execution, by either lethal injection or nitrogen gas. This is a complete list of all inmates executed in Arkansas since the reinstatement of the Death Penalty in 1976. After killing a man in a restaurant and fleeing, Rector spent three days on the run before he agreed to turn himself in. org Apr 2, 2025 · The longest-serving prisoner on Arkansas’s Death Row died Tuesday of natural causes at the Varner SuperMax unit in Lincoln County, the Arkansas Department of Corrections announced yesterday. There are currently 37 men on death row in Arkansas. The Arkansas Department Mar 12, 2021 · The death penalty was reinstated in 1976. state of Arkansas. According to court documents Robert Holland was serving a life sentence Mar 12, 2021 · Jack Greene was sentenced to death by the State of Arkansas for the murder of a retired pastor. Years later, in 2003, it was matched to the DNA evidence of the Lori Barrett case. Cummins housed Arkansas's male death row until 1986, when it was transferred first to the Tucker Maximum Security Unit. Among the counties contributing to this grim roster from the Today in Fort Smith primary readership area are Sebastian, Johnson, Polk The Next to Die uses data from the Death Penalty Information Center combined with reporting from The Marshall Project and our partners. Tuesday Mar 12, 2021 · Robert Holland was sentenced to death by the State of Arkansas for a prison murder. May 31, 2025 · See the full list of inmates currently on Death Row within the Arkansas Division of Correction including date of sentence. STORY → APRIL 12 This combination of file photos provided by the Arkansas Department of Correction shows death-row inmates Bruce Earl Ward, left, and Don William Davis. Mar 13, 2021 · The State of Arkansas uses lethal injection for their executions. Riggs was held at the McPherson Unit, which included the female death row, until her execution. Apr 20, 2017 · After death-row inmates' attorneys argued in a Friday filing that a convicted murderer's death shows that Arkansas' protocol didn't "prevent an execution by torture," a federal judge has ordered Mar 12, 2021 · Death row inmate Brandon Lacy on Thursday lost his appeal to the Arkansas Supreme Court, which considered his case for the fourth time. [4] The Arkansas execution chamber is located at the Cummins Unit. When he was sentenced in 1993, Reams was the youngest person to enter death row in Arkansas, at the age of 18. Mar 12, 2021 · Justin Anderson was sentenced to death by the State of Arkansas for the murder of an elderly woman. Sarah Huckabee Sanders signed Act 302 into law, which allows nitrogen hypoxia to be used to kill death row inmates. Mar 4, 2025 · Learn about Arkansas’ death penalty laws, execution methods, and legal processes, including sentencing, appeals, and clemency options. After the natural passing of 35-year Arkansas death row inmate Bruce Earl Ward, former Arkansas Governor Asa Hutchinson is sharing his thoughts as the person who set his execution date eight years The Death Penalty Information Center (DPI) is a national non-profit organization whose mission is to serve the media, policymakers, and the general public… Jun 6, 2025 · Latavious Johnson, a death row inmate, was pronounced dead at about 3:30 p. Originally sentenced to life without parole in Arkansas for killing a University of Arkansas pre-med student and cheerleader in 1998, Williams escaped from prison in a 500-gallon barrel of pig slop in 1999. (AP) — Bruce Ward, a convicted murderer who was the longest-serving inmate on Arkansas' death row, has died, the state Department of Corrections said. hbdssrikthyyqpxviuotdrkcfvkjgljegwevdczhtpifskmxh