US death penalty spike: 26 executed already in 2025, 9 more planned
Death row cell in the US (Illustrative photo: Getty Images)
The US is witnessing a surge in executions, with 26 people put to death in just the first half of the year — the highest figure since 2015. The pace has raised alarm among human rights advocates, according to Le Monde.
On Tuesday, July 15, 54-year-old Michael Bell was executed by lethal injection at 6:25 p.m. at the Raiford prison facility, according to the state Department of Corrections.
Bell had been on death row since 1993 for the murders of two young people in Jacksonville — 23-year-old Jimmy West and 18-year-old Tameka Smith. Investigators say Bell mistakenly believed one of them was responsible for his brother’s death.
Michael Bell spent more than three decades awaiting execution before his death by lethal injection earlier this week.
Capital punishment in the US
According to the Death Penalty Information Center (DPIC), of the 26 executions carried out so far this year in the US, more than half took place in just three states: Florida, Texas, and South Carolina.
“The rise in executions this year is largely the result of decisions made by a few elected officials in a small number of states,” the DPIC report noted.
Of the 26 executions, 21 were carried out using lethal injection.
Three of this year’s executions in the US were carried out using nitrogen hypoxia — a new method first implemented by Alabama in 2024. The technique has already drawn harsh criticism from UN experts, who likened it to a form of torture.
In addition, two executions were conducted by firing squad in South Carolina, marking the first use of this method in the US since 2010.
According to preliminary reports, nine more executions are scheduled to take place in the US before the end of 2025.
The death penalty is not enforced in every US state. For example, California, Oregon, and Pennsylvania currently observe a moratorium on executions, imposed by their respective governors.
Currently, the death penalty has been fully abolished in 23 out of 50 US states.
On July 13, a shooting occurred at the Richmond Road Baptist Church in Lexington, Kentucky. The incident resulted in both fatalities and injuries.
Just a day earlier, on Saturday, July 12, a gunman opened fire at a high school reunion in the state of Tennessee, leaving several people injured.
