Page 2
September 25, 2024
The Most Executions Set in Decades!
5 Executions Set
Over a Week’s
Span in the US
AP- Death row inmates in five states are
scheduled to be put to death in the span of
one week, an unusually high number of
executions that defies a yearslong trend of
decline in both the use and support of the
death penalty in the U.S.
If carried out as planned, the executions
in Alabama, Missouri, Oklahoma, South
Carolina and Texas will mark the first time
in more than 20 years — since July 2003
— that five were held in seven days, ac-
cording to the nonprofit Death Penalty In-
formation Center, which takes no position
on capital punishment but has criticized the
way states carry out executions.
The first execution was carried out
on in South Carolina, and if the other
four scheduled this week proceed, the
United States will have reached 1,600
executions since the death penalty was
reinstated by the U.S. Supreme Court
in 1976, said Robin Maher, the center’s
executive director.
The first of the five executions took
place on Friday when South Carolina put
inmate Freddie Owens to death for the
1997 killing of a convenience store clerk
during a robbery. It was South Carolina’s
first execution in 13 years, an unintend-
ed delay caused by the inability of state
prison officials to obtain the drugs need-
ed for lethal injections. To carry out exe-
cutions, the state switched from a three-
Joseph Amrine, who was exonerated two decades ago after spending years on death row, speaks at a rally to support Missouri
death row inmates Marcellus Williams on Wednesday Aug. 21, 2024, in Clayton, Mo. (AP Photo/Jim Salter)
drug method to a new protocol of using a
single sedative, pentobarbital.
Alabama is preparing to carry out the
nation’s second execution ever using ni-
trogen gas after becoming the first state
to use the new procedure in January. Alan
Miller is set to die by the process in which
a mask is placed over the inmate’s head
that forces the inmate to inhale pure ni-
trogen. Miller, who was given a reprieve
in 2022 after his execution was called off
when officials were unable to connect an
intravenous line, was sentenced to die af-
ter being convicted of killing three men
during back-to-back workplace shootings
in 1999.
Texas is scheduled to execute Travis
Mullis, a man with a long history of mental
illness who has repeatedly sought to waive
his right to appeal his death sentence.
Mullis was sentenced to death for kill-
ing his 3-month-old son in January 2008.
Mullis’ attorneys did not plan to file any
appeals to try and stay his lethal injection.
Also in Missouri, Marcellus Williams
is set to receive a lethal injection for the
1998 stabbing death of a woman in the
St. Louis suburb of University City. Wil-
liams’ attorneys argued on Monday that
the state Supreme Court should halt his
execution over alleged procedural errors
in jury selection and the prosecution’s al-
leged mishandling of the murder weapon.
But the state’s high court rejected those
arguments, and Gov. Mike Parson denied
Williams’ clemency request, paving the
way for his execution to proceed.
In Oklahoma, Emmanuel Littlejohn is
set to receive a lethal injection after being
sentenced to die for his role in the 1992
shooting death of a convenience store
owner during a robbery. Littlejohn has
admitted to his role in the robbery, but
claims he did not fire the fatal shot. The
state’s Pardon and Parole Board voted 3-2
last month to recommend Gov. Kevin Stitt
spare Littlejohn’s life, but the governor
has yet to make a clemency decision.
A Pause on Gambling
Dry January. Sober October. You may have heard of these health initiatives that
encourage people to put away the alcohol for an entire month. It’s a way to
put a habit on pause and reevaluate the role it plays in your day-to-day life.
A chance to try out new strategies and alternatives. An opportunity to let your
mind rest. Sometimes, it’s simply a way to feel better.
If gambling has taken a larger role in your life than you’re comfortable with, taking
a break, even a temporary one, can help you see new paths forward. Much like a
month-long pause on alcohol can help people achieve a more mindful way of drinking,
cutting back or taking a pause on gambling can provide similar benefits.
Finding a Way Forward
Oregon Problem Gambling Resource (OPGR) can help. With online tools and resources, you’ll be able to start exploring your relationship
with gambling. If you want more structured help, we can provide that too. From trained counselors to supportive communities, the way
you interact is up to you. And help is always free.
If you’re ready to start exploring what cutting back could look like for you, visit us online at opgr.org. Connect with us by call, chat, or text.
The choices are yours.