Two inmates were executed by lethal injection in Oklahoma and Tennessee on a day when three U.S. executions were scheduled. Anthony Hines, 66, was executed in Nashville for a 1985 murder; Carlos Cuesta-Rodriguez, 70, was executed in McAlester for a 2003 killing. A third execution was scheduled in Alabama for Jeremy Williams, convicted in the 2021 rape and murder of a five-year-old. The day would mark the most U.S. executions in one day since 2010 and highlights ongoing debates over methods and the death penalty.
Two Death Row Inmates Executed in Oklahoma and Tennessee as U.S. Faces Triple-Execution Day
Carlos Cuesta-Rodriguez, 70, was executed in Oklahoma by lethal injection on August 13, 2026 at the state penitentiary in McAlester for the 2003 murder of his common-law wife, Olimpia Fisher (Handout)
Two convicted murderers were executed by lethal injection on Thursday in Oklahoma and Tennessee, part of a day when three executions were scheduled across the United States.
Anthony Hines, 66, was put to death at Tennessee's maximum-security prison in Nashville for the March 1985 killing of 54-year-old Catherine Jenkins, a motel housekeeper and mother of four, the Tennessee Department of Corrections said. Officials noted Hines's execution was Tennessee's first since an attempted lethal injection in May was halted after medical staff were unable to access a usable vein.
Carlos Cuesta-Rodriguez, 70, was executed by lethal injection at the state penitentiary in McAlester, Oklahoma, for the 2003 murder of his common-law wife, Olimpia Fisher, the Oklahoma attorney general's office said.
A third execution was scheduled for later that evening in Alabama. Jeremy Williams, 42, was set to be executed by lethal injection at 6:00 p.m. Central Time (2300 GMT) at an Alabama state prison for the 2021 rape and murder of five-year-old Kamarie Holland.
Context and National Trends
Carrying out three executions in one day would be the most in the United States since 2010, according to the Death Penalty Information Center. So far this year there have been 21 executions nationwide: 12 in Florida, four in Texas, three in Oklahoma, one in Arizona and one in Tennessee.
The death penalty has been abolished in 23 U.S. states, while California, Oregon and Pennsylvania maintain moratoriums on executions. Last year the United States recorded 47 executions — the highest annual total since 2009, when 52 inmates were executed. Former President Donald Trump has publicly urged for expanded use of capital punishment.
Methods and International Concern
Of last year's executions, 39 were carried out by lethal injection. Three were by firing squad and five used nitrogen hypoxia, a method that sends nitrogen gas into a face mask and causes death by asphyxiation. The United Nations has condemned nitrogen hypoxia as a cruel and inhumane method of execution.
Note: This report summarizes official statements and public records from state corrections departments and the Death Penalty Information Center.
Help us improve.
