Three US executions take place on same day for second time this year

Summarised from 5 outlets · Updated 5 Nov, 10:36 · Archive

Three people were executed across Indiana, Florida and Alabama on Thursday, the second time this year three death row inmates have been put to death on the same day.

Three lethal injections were carried out across the United States on Thursday, marking the second time this year that three people have been executed on the same day. The first such occasion occurred on 13 August when Oklahoma, Tennessee and Alabama conducted executions within hours of each other.

Jeffrey Weisheit, aged 50, was executed first in Indiana at the Indiana State Prison in Michigan City. He was pronounced dead at 12:45 a.m. local time. Weisheit had admitted to setting a fire that killed his girlfriend's two children, Alyssa and Caleb Lynch, aged eight and five respectively, at a home in the Evansville area in 2010. The murders were apparently linked to the couple's deteriorating relationship. Weisheit was sentenced to death in 2013. This was Indiana's first execution of the year, as the death penalty is not as commonly carried out in the state as in others.

Florida proceeded with the execution of Jesse Guardado, 64, by lethal injection. Guardado had confessed to and pleaded guilty to fatally stabbing Jackie Malone, a 75-year-old woman, inside her home in Walton County in 2004. Malone had helped Guardado find housing and work after his release from prison. Guardado killed her to steal her jewellery box, $80 and other valuables to fund his drug addiction. Florida's execution was the state's 19th of 2026, matching the record set in 2025.

Alabama also carried out an execution on Thursday, its third of the year. All three executions occurred under renewed scrutiny of the death penalty following Tennessee's failed execution of Christa Pike in September, when she survived two lethal doses of pentobarbital. Courts have rejected efforts to halt other executions since her failed execution.

Florida has ramped up executions under Republican Governor Ron DeSantis, who has signed a series of death warrants since 2025. The state carried out a record 19 executions in 2025, more than under any other Florida governor in a single year since the death penalty was reinstated in 1976. Those executions accounted for roughly 40 per cent of the 47 carried out nationwide in 2025, and Florida has accounted for more than half of the 32 executions carried out nationwide so far in 2026.

Weisheit's execution faced last-minute legal challenges. His lawyers had requested that Republican Governor Mike Braun allow him to undergo brain scans to support their argument that he had a history of head injuries and mental health problems. Braun declined this request and also rejected a request to reduce Weisheit's sentence to life in prison. Weisheit's latest objection centred on Indiana's planned use of lethal drugs purchased from a pharmacy facing a disciplinary hearing at the Indiana Pharmacy Board. Weisheit had no final words and his final meal was barbecue ribs.

How it is being reported

• Indiana puts child killer to death as three states prepare for rare same-day executionsFlorida, Indiana and Alabama are scheduled to carry out executions ThursdayIndependent World · 5 Nov, 10:15
• Indiana carries out first of 3 U.S. executions set for ThursdayAn Indiana man was executed in the first of three lethal injections scheduled for Thursday in the U.S., which would mark the second time this year that three people in the U.S. were put to death on the same day.CBS News · 5 Nov, 09:45
• Indiana child killer executed after gorging on ribs – two more Death Row inmates to die todayJeffrey Weisheit has been executed by lethal injection in Indiana - hours before the scheduled executions of Jesse Guardado in Florida and Michael Taylor in AlabamaThe Mirror · 5 Nov, 09:21
• Indiana carries out first of 3 executions taking place on a single day in USAn Indiana man who admitted killing two children in a house fire was executed early Thursday in the first of three lethal injections scheduled for the same day in the US.New York Post · 5 Nov, 08:41
• Three executions scheduled across US on same day for second time this yearThree executions are scheduled across Indiana, Florida and Alabama in the second instance this year of three people facing the death penalty on the same day.Fox News · 5 Nov, 08:02

In this story: Jeffrey Weisheit · Jesse Guardado · Jackie Malone · Ron DeSantis · Mike Braun · Indiana · Florida · Alabama

This summary was written by AI from the headlines and standfirsts above, and states as fact only what at least two outlets report. How we use AI · Report a problem · Corrections log