The United States is among a few countries that still practice the death penalty, with executions taking place every month. Some states have scheduled executions up until 2026. Here are some of the notorious individuals who have been executed while on death row.
Ted Bundy
Name: Theodore Robert Bundy.
Date of Birth: November 24th 1946.
Crime: First Degree Murder (x3), Attempted First Degree Murder (x3), Aggravated Kidnapping and Burglary.
Sentence: Two Death Sentences and 1 to 15 years in prison.
Victims: 20 confirmed victims, confessed to killing 30 and is suspected of 36+ victims.
Died: January 24th 1989 at the age of 42 in Florida State Prison.
Cause of Death: Execution by electrocution.
Ted Bundy was executed on January 24, 1989, by electric chair at Florida State Prison. He was sentenced to death for the murder of several young women in Florida and was suspected of killing many more across several states. Bundy was a notorious and charismatic figure who gained notoriety for his violent crimes, his escapes from prison, and his media-savvy demeanor. His execution drew a great deal of media attention and remains one of the most widely reported executions in American history.
Aileen Wuornos
Name: Aileen Carol Wuornos.
Date of Birth: 29th February 1956.
Crime: 6 counts of First Degree Murder.
Sentence: 6 Death Sentences.
Victims: 7.
Died on: October 9th 2022 at Florida State Prison.
Cause of Death: Execution by Lethal Injection.
Aileen Wuornos was executed by lethal injection on October 9, 2002, at Florida State Prison. She was sentenced to death for the murder of seven men in Florida between 1989 and 1990. Wuornos, who was dubbed the “first female serial killer,” claimed that she killed the men in self-defense while working as a prostitute. Her case attracted widespread media attention and was the subject of several books and films, including the 2003 movie “Monster” which starred Charlize Theron. Wuornos’ execution was the first in Florida for a woman in more than 70 years.
Timothy McVeigh
Name: Timothy James McVeigh.
Date of Birth: 23rd April 1968.
Crimes: First Degree Murder of a Federal Employee (x8), Use of a Weapon of Mass Destruction Resulting in Death, Conspiracy To Use a Weapon of Mass Destruction Resulting in Death, Destruction by Explosives Resulting in Death.
Sentence: Death.
Victims: 168 victims were killed and 680+ people were injured.
Died on: June 11th 2001 in USP Terre Haute in Indiana.
Cause of Death: Execution by Lethal Injection.
Timothy McVeigh was an American domestic terrorist who was convicted of the Oklahoma City bombing in 1995, which killed 168 people and injured over 600 others. He was sentenced to death and executed by the federal government in 2001. McVeigh’s case received widespread media attention and remains one of the most notorious acts of domestic terrorism in U.S. history. He was executed by lethal injection on June 11, 2001.
John Wayne Gacy
Name: John Wayne Gacy.
Date of Birth: March 17th 1942.
Crimes: Sodamy (Iowa), Murder (x33), Indecent Liberties with a Child, Deviate Sexual Assault in Illinois.
Sentence: Death.
Victims: 33+ victims.
Died On: May 10th 1994 at age 52 in Stateville Correctional Centre in Illinois.
Cause of Death: Execution by Lethal Injection.
John Wayne Gacy was an American serial killer and rapist who was convicted of the murders of 33 young men and boys. He was sentenced to death and executed by the state of Illinois in 1994. Gacy’s case received widespread media coverage and remains one of the most notorious in the history of American criminal justice. He was executed by lethal injection on May 10, 1994.
Daniel Lewis Lee
Name: Daniel Lewis Lee.
Date of Birth: January 31st 1973.
Crimes: Murder in Aid of Racketeering (x3), Racketeering, Conspiracy to Commit Racketeering, Robbery and Carrying a Concealed Weapon.
Sentence: Death.
Victims: 4 Victims.
Died On: July 14th 2020 at 47 years old in USP Terre Haute in Indiana.
Cause of Death: Execution by Lethal Injection.
Daniel Lewis Lee was an American prisoner who was sentenced to death and executed by the federal government in 2020. He was convicted of murder in the deaths of three people and sentenced to death. His execution was the first federal execution in 17 years, and it was met with controversy and protests due to questions about the fairness of his trial and the legality of the federal death penalty. Lee was executed by lethal injection on July 14, 2020.
Juan Garza
Name: Juan Raul Garza.
Date of Birth: November 18th 1956.
Crimes: Murder in Furtherance of Continuing Criminal Enterprise (x3), Operating a Continuing Criminal Enterprise, Money Laundering, Conspiracy to Import More Than 1,000 Kilograms of Marijuana, Conspiracy to Possess more than 1,000 Kilograms of Marijuana with Intent to Distribute and Possession of Marijuana with Intent to Distribute (x3).
Sentence: Death.
Victims: 8+ Victims.
Died On: June 19th 2001 at the age of 44 in USP Terre Haute in Indiana.
Cause of Death: Execution by Lethal Injection.
Juan Raul Garza was an American prisoner who was sentenced to death and executed by the federal government in 2001. He was convicted on three counts of murder related to drug trafficking and sentenced to death. His case attracted attention due to the racial and ethnic disparities in the federal death penalty system, as well as concerns about the fairness of his trial. Garza was executed by lethal injection on June 19, 2001.
Louis Jones Jnr.
Name: Louis Jones Jnr.
Date of Birth: March 4th 1950.
Crimes: Kidnapping Resulting in Death.
Sentence: Death.
Victims: 1 Victim.
Died On: March 18th 2003 at the age of 53 in USP Terre Haute in Indiana.
Cause of Death: Execution by Lethal Injection.
Louis Jones Jr. was an American prisoner who was executed by the federal government in 2003. He was convicted of the kidnapping and murder of a U.S. Army Private and sentenced to death. His execution was the first federal execution in 38 years, and it sparked a renewed national debate about the use of the death penalty. Jones was executed by lethal injection on March 18, 2003.
Gary Gilmore
Name: Gary Mark Gilmore.
Date of Birth: December 4th 1940.
Crimes: First Degree Murder, Armed Robbery (x3) and Assault (x2).
Sentence: Death.
Victims: 2 Victims.
Died On: January 17th 1977 at the age of 36 in Draper Utah.
Cause of Death: Execution by Firing Squad.
Gary Gilmore was an American prisoner who was executed by the state of Utah in 1977. He was convicted of murder and sentenced to death. His execution was the first in the United States after the U.S. Supreme Court reinstated the death penalty in 1976, and it attracted widespread media attention. Gilmore was executed by firing squad on January 17, 1977, and his case remains one of the most famous in the history of the death penalty in the United States.
Robert Alton Harris
Name: Robert Alton Harris.
Date of Birth: January 15th 1953.
Crimes: Bank Robbery (Federal), First Degree Murder with Special Circumstances (x2), Voluntary Manslaughter, Kidnapping (x2), Robbery (x2), Receiving Stolen Property.
Sentence: 25 years in Prison (Federal) and Death.
Victims: 3 Victims.
Died On: April 21st 1992 at age 39 in San Quentin State Prison in California.
Cause of Death: Execution by Gas Chamber.
Robert Alton Harris was an American prisoner who was executed by the state of California in 1992. He was convicted of two counts of murder and sentenced to death. His execution was the first in California in 25 years and received widespread media coverage. There was controversy surrounding his case due to questions about his competence and his guilt in the murders. Nevertheless, Harris was executed by lethal injection on April 21, 1992.
John Louis Evans
Name: John Louis Evans III.
Date of Birth: January 4th 1950.
Crimes: Capital Murder.
Sentence: Death.
Victims: 1 Victim.
Died On: April 22nd 1983 at the age of 33 in Holman Correctional Facility, Alabama.
Cause of Death: Botched Execution by Electric Chair.
John Louis Evans was an American prisoner who was executed by the state of Alabama in 1983. He was convicted of murder and sentenced to death. His case received national attention due to the controversial method of execution used in Alabama at the time, which involved the use of the electric chair. Evans’ execution has been widely criticized by human rights organizations and death penalty opponents for its perceived cruelty and inhumanity.
You can read more of my Death Row posts here! The Innocence Project is a charity who is helping people to get off death row.
Love, Bee xxx