Alabama man put to death for the murder of a 5-year-old girl in last of three US executions in a day

Historic Day for US Justice: Three States Carry Out Executions in Single Day

Goldlaner.com – The American criminal justice system marked a significant milestone this week as Tennessee, Oklahoma, and Alabama each conducted lethal injection executions on the same calendar day. This rare occurrence represents the first time since January 2010 that three separate states have put inmates to death within a 24-hour period, reflecting a broader resurgence in capital punishment across the United States.

A Growing Trend in Capital Punishment

The coordinated executions underscore an upward trajectory in death penalty usage nationwide. During 2025, eleven states collectively executed forty-seven individuals, marking the highest annual total since 2009. With Thursday’s three executions completed, twenty-two inmates have now been put to death this year, with approximately twelve additional executions scheduled to follow.

Florida has contributed significantly to this trend, executing two men on the same day in July and reaching thirty-one total executions since the beginning of 2025. The state has consistently maintained one of the highest execution rates in the nation.

Oklahoma: Carlos Cuesta-Rodriguez

The day’s executions began in Oklahoma, where Carlos Cuesta-Rodriguez, age seventy, received a lethal injection at the state penitentiary in rural McAlester. He became the third person executed in Oklahoma this year.

Cuesta-Rodriguez turned his head toward his two attending relatives and mouthed “I love you” before the procedure concluded. He declined to offer formal last words. Medical witnesses observed labored breathing for several minutes before officials pronounced him dead at 10:13 a.m. Central Daylight Time.

Convicted of fatally shooting his girlfriend, Olimpia Fisher, at their Oklahoma City residence in 2003, Cuesta-Rodriguez had previously expressed regret for the killing and declined clemency. His legal team highlighted his challenging childhood in Cuba and noted that he suffered from brain damage and post-traumatic stress disorder.

The attack on Fisher was particularly brutal. Fisher, forty-three at the time, was preparing to leave Cuesta-Rodriguez when he shot her in one eye. She screamed for help for approximately eight minutes before he fired the fatal shot into her other eye.

Fisher’s daughters, Cinthya Allen and Katya Wallis, issued a statement expressing hope that the execution would raise awareness about domestic violence prevention. They said they honor their mother by “raising our families to reflect the love and faith in God that she taught us.”

Tennessee: Anthony Darrell Hines

Just thirty minutes after Cuesta-Rodriguez’s execution, Anthony Darrell Hines received his lethal injection in Tennessee. Hines, sixty-six, was convicted of the 1985 murder of Catherine Jean Jenkins, a fifty-four-year-old motel maid in Kingston Springs.

When asked if he had final words, Hines responded, “not right now, thank you,” before adding, “Tell my son hello.” His son, who had not seen his father since age three, reconnected with him just four days earlier and witnessed the execution.

Hines was pronounced dead at 10:43 a.m. CDT. Witnesses reported hearing groans and heavy breathing approximately four minutes after the death chamber curtain opened. Hines had asked his spiritual adviser, “How long do I have?” before succumbing to the injection.

Dennis Jenkins, Catherine’s son, commented on the execution: “I hope he felt severe pain because what he did to my mother is nothing compared to what he may have just gone through.” He noted that his mother had only a plastic spray bottle to defend herself against the knife attack.

Hines had previously appealed to the governor and courts, arguing that the doctor who oversaw a May execution was unqualified and might botch his own execution. His appeal was unsuccessful.

Alabama: Jeremy Williams

The day concluded with Alabama’s execution of Jeremy Williams, forty-two, who was convicted of the 2021 rape and murder of young Georgia girl Kamarie Holland. Williams was pronounced dead at 6:16 p.m. CDT.

Williams had pleaded guilty to the crime and declined to appeal, instead requesting that his death sentence be carried out promptly. In letters to the Alabama attorney general’s office, he sought an immediate execution date so the victim’s family “may have some type of closure and satisfaction which they deserve.”

Williams offered his final words before death: “I want to thank God for forgiving me for my sins so I can meet him in peace.” Witnesses observed him rocking his head back and forth and smiling before he appeared to sing or speak, then gradually became still on the gurney.

Historical Context and Scheduling

While the triple execution on Thursday was largely a coincidence of scheduling, it echoed similar events in recent history. Three executions were originally scheduled for the same day in 2018, but only one proceeded after a Texas inmate received a reprieve and Alabama experienced technical difficulties with an IV line.

The most recent previous instance of three simultaneous executions occurred on January 7, 2010, when Louisiana, Ohio, and Texas each carried out death sentences. The current day’s executions demonstrate both the logistical capacity of state prison systems and the continued commitment to capital punishment in American jurisprudence.