The United States is poised to carry out a series of executions in 2026, with multiple states scheduling dates for condemned inmates convicted of some of the nation’s most brutal crimes. A review of court orders reveals a grim calendar set to unfold across Tennessee, Texas, Ohio, and Oklahoma, marking a significant year for capital punishment.
In Tennessee, Christa Pike, the youngest woman sentenced to death in the modern era, is scheduled to die on September 30, 2026. Pike was convicted for the 1995 torture-murder of a teenage love rival, a crime marked by occult obsession and extreme cruelty. She has since been convicted of a near-fatal attack on a fellow inmate while on death row.
Texas will initiate the year’s executions with Charles Victor Thompson on January 28, 2026. Thompson was convicted of the 1998 murders of his ex-girlfriend and her new boyfriend. His notoriety increased following a brief but brazen escape from custody in 2005, which ended with his capture in Louisiana.
Oklahoma plans to execute Kendrick Antonio Simpson on February 12, 2026. Simpson was convicted of a 2006 double murder outside an Oklahoma City nightclub, a shooting he bragged about by declaring himself a “monster.” The attack, which stemmed from a dispute over a baseball cap, left two men dead.
Back in Texas, Cedric Allen Ricks faces execution on March 11, 2026. Ricks was sentenced to death for the 2013 stabbing murders of his partner and her eight-year-old son, and the attempted murder of her 12-year-old son, during a violent domestic assault in Bedford.
James Garfield Broadnax is scheduled for execution in Texas on April 30, 2026. Broadnax was convicted of capital murder for the 2008 killings of two Christian music producers during a robbery outside their Garland studio. He was arrested days later while driving a victim’s vehicle.
Edward Lee Busby Jr.’s execution in Texas is set for May 14, 2026. Busby kidnapped a 77-year-old retired teacher from a grocery store parking lot in 2004, asphyxiated her with duct tape, and dumped her body in Oklahoma after stealing her money and credit cards.
Tennessee has scheduled the execution of Tony V. Kuther for May 21, 2026. Kuther was convicted for the 1994 kidnapping and burial alive of three people in a Memphis cemetery, a crime committed with an accomplice to obtain money through violence.
Ohio’s death row, currently under scrutiny due to gubernatorial concerns over lethal injection, has several dates pending. Gerald Hand, 76, is scheduled for June 17, 2026, for the insurance-motivated murders of three of his four wives over 26 years.
Cleveland Jackson Jr. faces execution on July 15, 2026, for a 2002 mass shooting in Lima that killed a three-year-old girl and a teenager, and injured six others during a drug-related home invasion.
Danny Lee Hill is scheduled to die on July 22, 2026, for the 1985 kidnapping, torture, and murder of a 12-year-old Boy Scout in Warren, a case that has generated numerous appeals over nearly four decades.
Tennessee will execute Anthony Daryl Hines on August 13, 2026. Hines was convicted for the 1985 murder, rape, and robbery of a motel housekeeper in Kingston Springs, a crime he committed while fleeing from Kentucky authorities.
Ohio has set the execution of James D. O’Neal for August 19, 2026. O’Neal was convicted of the 1993 murder of his wife, Carol, whom he shot multiple times in their home as she begged for her life in front of her children.
Jerome Henderson’s execution in Ohio is scheduled for October 21, 2026. Henderson was sentenced to death for the 1985 aggravated murder and attempted rape of a woman in her Cincinnati apartment, a case solved by a fingerprint left at the scene.
Melvin D. Bonnell is to be executed in Ohio on November 18, 2026. Bonnell was convicted of a 1987 Cleveland home invasion that resulted in the fatal shooting of one man and the assault of another.
Tennessee has also scheduled Gary Wayne Sutton for execution, though a specific 2026 date is pending finalization. Sutton was convicted for the 1992 murder of Tommy Griffin, who was shot in a wooded area after being bailed out of jail, and the related murder of Griffin’s sister.
These scheduled executions represent the culmination of legal processes spanning decades. Each case involves crimes that shocked their communities, featuring acts of domestic terror, calculated murder for profit, and seemingly indiscriminate violence. The coming year will test the resolve of state penal systems as they prepare to carry out these final sentences.
Legal experts anticipate a flurry of last-minute appeals and motions for stays of execution as the dates approach. The viability of Ohio’s schedule remains particularly uncertain given ongoing state-level debates about execution protocols. For the victims’ families, the dates mark a long-awaited potential for closure.
For the condemned, the calendar represents the final countdown. Many, like Christa Pike and Anthony Hines, have spent more than half their lives on death row. Their scheduled executions in 2026 underscore the protracted, often controversial, nature of capital punishment in America, setting the stage for a consequential year in the nation’s justice system.
