Louisiana to Resume Executions After 15-Year Pause

Plan faces legal challenges and criticism over execution method
By Newser.AI Read our AI policy
Posted Feb 12, 2025 12:45 AM CST
Louisiana to Resume Executions After 15-Year Pause
Death Row building is seen at the Louisiana State Penitentiary Friday, Sept. 18, 2009, in Angola, La.   (AP Photo/Judi Bottoni, File)

Louisiana is set to resume death row executions after a 15-year hiatus, implementing nitrogen gas as the method amid controversy. Attorney General Liz Murrill plans to execute at least four death row inmates this year, drawing on a recently expanded number of execution methods approved by the GOP-led legislature. Republican Gov. Jeff Landry expressed readiness to proceed with these executions, stating his administration's updated protocols address previous leadership failures to deliver justice for victims of violent crimes.

"For too long, Louisiana has failed to uphold the promises made to victims of our State's most violent crimes; but that failure of leadership by previous administrations is over," Landry said in a statement. The state's move aligns with Alabama's recent use of nitrogen gas, a method deemed painless by proponents but criticized as cruel by opponents. The Death Penalty Information Center flagged this method due to apparent signs of suffering during executions, like involuntary movements noted in Alabama's cases.

DeSoto Parish District Attorney Charles Adams seeks to execute Christopher Sepulvado in March for his 1993 murder conviction, while Rapides Parish District Attorney Phillip Terrell aims for Larry Roy's execution despite pending legal appeals. This has prompted legal pushback, with Sepulvado's attorney Shawn Nolan highlighting his client's age and remorse. Roy's legal representative, Cecelia Kappel, condemned the planned execution as unlawful. "Mr. Roy is entitled to his day in court, he's entitled to full assistance in counsel in litigating his post-conviction claims," Kappel said. (This story was generated by Newser's AI chatbot. Source: the AP)

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