Three executions are scheduled to take place on Thursday in Indiana, Florida, and Alabama, marking the second instance this year that three individuals will be put to death on the same day in the United States. The death penalty has faced increased scrutiny following a botched execution in Tennessee.
In Indiana, Jeffrey Weisheit was convicted of murder and arson for setting a house fire that killed two children in 2010. His execution will be the first in the state this year. Weisheit, 50, had his requests for brain scans and a sentence reduction denied by Republican Gov. Mike Braun. His legal team also raised objections regarding the state's planned use of lethal drugs from a pharmacy facing a disciplinary hearing.
Florida is set to execute Jesse Guardado, who pleaded guilty to fatally stabbing a 75-year-old woman in 2004 and stealing her belongings to support a drug habit. This will be Florida's 19th execution this year under Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis, equaling a record set in 2025. DeSantis has stated his goal is to deliver justice to families who have long awaited the carrying out of death sentences.
In Alabama, Michael Taylor, 54, is scheduled for execution 35 years after he beat an older couple to death during a robbery. His attorneys urged Republican Gov. Kay Ivey to commute his sentence to life in prison, citing his age and immaturity at the time of the crimes, but she declined. The state plans to execute Taylor by lethal injection after a judge ruled against his attorneys' objections to the method switch.