Death row inmate executed in Florida

On Tuesday at 18:15 local time, 58-year-old Chadwick Willacy was executed in Florida via lethal injection. Willacy had been sentenced to death for the 1990 murder of his 56-year-old neighbor, Marlis Sather, whom he killed after she discovered him burglarizing her home. This execution marks the eighth in the United States this year and the fifth in Florida. Last year, the U.S. recorded 47 executions, the highest total since 2009. While lethal injection remains the primary method, five executions in 2024 involved nitrogen hypoxia, a method UN experts have labeled as torture. Additionally, South Carolina resumed the use of firing squads for the first time since 2010. Capital punishment is currently abolished in 23 states, with California, Oregon, and Pennsylvania maintaining official moratoriums.