On Thursday, three states in the United States carried out a total of 3 executions by lethal injection, marking the first time since 2010. According to the report from the Associated Press, Tennessee, Oklahoma, and Alabama each executed one death row inmate on Thursday, with the executions taking place within hours of each other. This was considered a scheduling coincidence but also reflects the increasing trend of executions in the United States in recent years.
In McAlester, Oklahoma, at 10:13 a.m., 70-year-old Carlos Cuesta-Rodriguez was executed at a state prison. He was sentenced to death for the 2003 shooting of his girlfriend, Olimpia Fisher, in Oklahoma City. Before the execution, he expressed remorse for the murder and did not seek clemency. He mouthed “I love you” to his relatives who were present.
In Tennessee, at 10:43 a.m., 66-year-old Anthony Darrell Hines was executed by lethal injection. He was convicted of the 1985 stabbing murder of 54-year-old hotel clerk Catherine Jean Jenkins in Kingston Springs. Hines did not leave a formal final statement before his execution, only asking for his son to be greeted on his behalf. His son was present at the execution, reestablishing contact just four days before the scheduled execution after years of estrangement.
Jeremy Williams, 42, was executed at 6:16 p.m. in Alabama. He was convicted of the 2021 rape and murder of 5-year-old Kamarie Holland. Prosecutors revealed that Williams had paid the girl’s mother $2,500 before assaulting and strangling the child. He admitted to the crimes, waived his right to appeal, and requested the death penalty. Before his execution, he expressed gratitude for God’s forgiveness of his sins.
According to the Death Penalty Information Center, including the executions on August 13, 2026, a total of 21 executions have been carried out in the United States so far this year, with nearly 10 more scheduled. Florida alone has conducted 12 executions this year, surpassing the combined total of other states. In 2025, a total of 47 executions were carried out in 11 states across the country, marking the highest number since 2009.
The last time the United States simultaneously executed 3 death row inmates on the same day was on January 7, 2010, with Louisiana, Ohio, and Texas each executing one person.