Texas performed 18 of 37 executions carried out in the U.S. in 2008. That was 48.6 percent. Ohio, which carried out two executions, was the only state outside the South to impose the death penalty in 2008. 95 percent of all 2008 executions were in the South.
Nine of the eighteen people executed in Texas in 2008 were African-American.
Six of the eighteen people executed in Texas in 2008 were white.
Three of the eighteen people executed in Texas were Hispanic.
66 percent of the people executed in Texas were Hispanic or black.
33 percent of the people executed in Texas were white.
Seven people were executed from Dallas County, the most from any county in 2008.
In 2007, Texas executed 26 people.
Executions in the United States in 2008
| DATE |
NUMBER SINCE 1976 |
STATE |
NAME |
AGE |
RACE |
VICTIM RACE |
METHOD |
| 5/6/08 | 1100 | GA | William Earl Lynd | 53 | W | 1 White | Lethal Injection |
| 5/21/08 | 1101 | MS | Earl Wesley Berry | 49 | W | 1 White | Lethal Injection |
| 5/27/08 | 1102 | VA | Kevin Green | 31 | B | 1 White | Lethal Injection |
| 6/4/08 | 1103 | GA | Curtis Osborne | 37 | B | 2 Black | Lethal Injection |
| 6/6/08 | 1104 | SC | David Mark Hill* | 48 | W | 1 Black/2 White | Lethal Injection |
| 6/11/08 | 1105 | TX | Karl Chamberlain | 37 | W | 1 White | Lethal Injection |
| 6/17/08 | 1106 | OK | Terry Lyn Short | 47 | W | 1 Asian | Lethal Injection |
| 6/20/08 | 1107 | SC | James Earl Reed* | 49 | B | 2 Black | Electrocution |
| 6/25/08 | 1108 | VA | Robert Yarbrough | 30 | B | 1 White | Lethal Injection |
| 7/1/08 | 1109 | FL | Mark Schwab | 39 | W | 1 Latino | Lethal Injection |
| 7/10/08 | 1110 | TX | Carlton Akee Turner | 29 | B | 2 Black | Lethal Injection |
| 7/10/08 | 1111 | VA | Kent Jermaine Jackson | 26 | B | 1 White | Lethal Injection |
| 7/23/08 | 1112 | MS | Dale Leo Bishop | 34 | W | 1 White | Lethal Injection |
| 7/23/08 | 1113 | TX | Derrick Sonnier | 40 | B | 2 Black | Lethal Injection |
| 7/24/08 | 1114 | VA | Christopher Emmett | 36 | W | 1 White | Lethal Injection |
| 7/31/08 | 1115 | TX | Larry Davis | 40 | B | 1 White | Lethal Injection |
| 8/5/08 | 1116 | TX | Jose Medellin~ | 33 | L | 1 White 1 Latina |
Lethal Injection |
| 8/7/08 | 1117 | TX | Heliberto Chi~ | 29 | L | 1 White | Lethal Injection |
| 8/12/08 | 1118 | TX | Leon Dorsey | 32 | B | 2 White | Lethal Injection |
| 8/14/08 | 1119 | TX | Michael Rodriguez* | 45 | L | 1 White | Lethal Injection |
| 9/16/08 | 1120 | GA | Jack Alderman | 57 | W | 1 White | Lethal Injection |
| 9/17/08 | 1121 | TX | William Murray | 39 | W | 1 White | Lethal Injection |
| 9/23/08 | 1122 | FL | Richard Henyard | 34 | B | 2 Black | Lethal Injection |
| 9/25/08 | 1123 | OK | Jessie Cummings | 52 | W | 1 White | Lethal Injection |
| 10/14/08 | 1124 | OH | Richard Cooey | 41 | W | 2 White | Lethal Injection |
| 10/14/08 | 1125 | TX | Alvin Kelly | 57 | W | 1 White | Lethal Injection |
| 10/16/08 | 1126 | TX | Kevin Michael Watts | 27 | B | 3 Asian | Lethal Injection |
| 10/21/08 | 1127 | TX | Joseph Ray Ries | 29 | W | 1 White | Lethal Injection |
| 10/28/08 | 1128 | TX | Eric Nenno | 47 | W | 1 White | Lethal Injection |
| 10/30/08 | 1129 | TX | Gregory Wright | 42 | W | 1 White | Lethal Injection |
| 11/6/08 | 1130 | TX | Elkie Taylor | 46 | B | 1 Black | Lethal Injection |
| 11/12/08 | 1131 | TX | George Whitaker | 36 | B | 1 Black | Lethal Injection |
| 11/13/08 | 1132 | TX | Denard Manns | 42 | B | 1 White | Lethal Injection |
| 11/19/08 | 1133 | OH | Gregory Bryant-Bey | 53 | B | 1 White | Lethal Injection |
| 11/20/08 | 1134 | TX | Robert Hudson | 45 | B | 1 Black | Lethal Injection |
| 11/21/08 | 1135 | KY | Marco Allen Chapman* | 37 | W | 2 White | Lethal Injection |
| 12/5/08 | 1136 | SC | Joseph Gardner | 38 | B | 1 White | Lethal Injection |
Join the “Abolish the Death Penalty Project” on Amazee.com and help us win the Amazee Bucket membership contest. We could win up to $5,000 to use against the death penalty. The project with the most members by Jan 22 wins. If we win, we plan to use one-half of any prize money we win to help needy families of people on death row travel to visit their loved ones on death row. We will use the other half of the prize money to fight against the death penalty.
First go to the project page, then you have to click on “join project” on the right hand side, then click on “register”. Then to qualify as one of the members who count towards the contest, you have to upload a picture or avatar of yourself.
We were all moved by the family members who spoke at the 9th Annual March to Stop Executions in Houston, so we were thinking of how we could help them. We all know that the death penalty is reserved for the poor. There are no rich people on death row. We will use one half of any prize money we get through this contest to help family members visit their loved ones on death row. Many families have a hard time making ends meet and the extra cost of traveling long distances to visit their loved ones on death row is a great financial burden. Some of the people on death row have young children who rarely get to visit them. The other half would be used for activities during the upcoming Texas legislative session from Jan to May 2009, such as a big anti-death penalty rally at the capitol and other projects to persuade people to support abolishing the death penalty.
