The United States is set to carry out a significantly reduced number of executions in 2026 compared to the previous year's record-breaking figures. As the new year begins, only 16 individuals are officially slated to receive the death penalty across five states.
A Shift from Record-Breaking Numbers
This planned total marks a stark contrast to 2025, when the state of Florida alone executed a historic 19 people, shattering its previous record of eight. The so-called "Sunshine State" was a major driver in last year's high national tally. For the coming year, Texas is leading the execution schedule, with multiple dates set at its Huntsville unit.
Notably, the 2026 list includes a rare female inmate: Christa Pike of Tennessee. If her execution proceeds, it would be the first time a woman has been put to death in that state in over two centuries. Meanwhile, Ohio continues its pattern of scheduling ambitious execution dates that are often delayed or cancelled due to legal challenges and issues securing lethal injection drugs.
The Condemned: A State-by-State Breakdown
The executions are concentrated in Texas, Florida, Oklahoma, Tennessee, and Ohio. No federal executions are currently scheduled for 2026. Here is a detailed look at the inmates facing the death penalty this year.
Charles Thompson (Texas - Jan. 28): Now 55, Thompson has been on death row since 1999 for the 1998 murders of his ex-girlfriend, Glenda Dennise Hayslip, and her new boyfriend, Darren Keith Cain, in a domestic violence incident that escalated into a shooting.
Ronald Heath (Florida - Feb. 10): Heath, 64, was convicted for the 1989 murder of Michael Sheridan. The crime involved a drug deal in a wooded area near Gainesville, where Sheridan was shot, stabbed, and robbed.
Kendrick Simpson (Oklahoma - Feb. 12): Simpson, 45, was sentenced to death for a 2006 double murder in Oklahoma City. Using an assault rifle, he fired 20 rounds into a vehicle, killing Glen Palmer, 20, and Anthony Jones, 19.
Cedric Ricks (Texas - March 11): Ricks, 51, was convicted of the 2013 stabbing deaths of his girlfriend, Roxann Sanchez, and her eight-year-old son, Anthony Figueroa, during an argument.
James Broadnax (Texas - April 30): Broadnax, 36, ambushed and killed two Christian music producers, Stephen Swan and Matthew Butler, during a 2008 robbery outside their Garland, Texas, recording studio.
Edward Lee Busby Jr. (Texas - May 14): Busby, 53, faces execution for the 2004 kidnapping and murder of 77-year-old retired professor Laura Lee Crane in a Fort Worth parking lot. His defense argues he is intellectually disabled.
Tony Carruthers (Tennessee - May 21): Carruthers faces execution for a 1994 triple murder in Memphis, where he killed drug dealer Marcellos Anderson, 21, Frederick Tucker, 17, and Anderson's mother, Delois Anderson, 43, in a bid to control local drug trade.
Ohio's Ambitious but Uncertain Schedule
Ohio has several inmates scheduled, though its history of last-minute stays casts doubt on whether all will proceed. The list includes:
Gerald R. Hand (June 17): Hand, 77, was convicted of killing his fourth wife, Jill Hand, and a friend, Walter Welch, in 2002. He is also a suspect in the deaths of his first two wives.
Cleveland L. Jackson (July 15): Jackson, 47, was convicted for a 2002 drug heist in Cleveland that turned into a shooting, killing 17-year-old Leneshia Williams and 3-year-old Jayla Grant.
Danny L. Hill (July 22): Hill, 59, was sentenced to death for the 1985 murder of 12-year-old Boy Scout Raymond Fife. His defense also claims intellectual disability.
James D. O'Neal (Aug. 19): O'Neal was convicted of murdering his wife, Carol, in 1993 after she kicked him out of their home, stating he wanted to "teach her a lesson."
Jerome Henderson (Oct. 21): Henderson, 65, was convicted for the 1986 aggravated murder and attempted rape of Mary Acoff in Cincinnati.
Melvin Bonnell (Nov. 18): Bonnell Jr., 62, was sentenced to death for the 1986 shooting murder of Robert Bunner, 23, in Cleveland.
The Tennessee schedule also includes Anthony Darrell Hines (Aug. 13) for a 1985 motel murder, and Gary Wayne Sutton (Dec. 3) for a 1992 double murder. The execution of Christa Pike (Sept. 30) remains the most notable, as she was sentenced for the 1995 torture and murder of a fellow teenager when she was 18 years old.
As 2026 unfolds, legal appeals and logistical hurdles will determine whether this truncated "roster of death" is carried out in full, or if the number of actual executions falls short of the scheduled list.
