Three US states to hold executions on same day as death penalties rise across the nation

Three U.S. states are scheduled to carry out executions on Thursday, August 13, 2026, marking the first time since January 7, 2010, that three individuals are slated for capital punishment on the same day. Tennessee, Alabama, and Oklahoma are the states set to proceed with lethal injections for three inmates convicted of murder.

This confluence of executions occurs amidst a broader trend of increasing death penalty applications in certain states, with 47 executions carried out across 11 states in 2025, the highest number since 2009. Florida significantly contributed to this surge, leading the nation with 19 executions in 2025 and carrying out 19 executions so far in 2026, including two on the same day in July. Despite this, national support for the death penalty has reached a five-decade low, and new death sentences continue to decline, with only 23 handed down in 2025.

The three inmates facing execution are Anthony Darrell Hines in Tennessee, Jeremy Williams in Alabama, and Carlos Cuesta-Rodriguez in Oklahoma. Hines was convicted for a 1985 murder, Williams for the 2021 rape and murder of a 5-year-old, and Cuesta-Rodriguez for the 2003 murder of his girlfriend. The scheduled executions also highlight ongoing challenges, such as a previously aborted lethal injection attempt in Tennessee due to IV problems.