The following is a list of people executed by the U.S. state of Idaho since capital punishment was resumed in 1976.
Three men have been executed for murder since the Gregg v. Georgia decision; all three were executed by lethal injection at the Idaho Maximum Security Institution, east of Kuna. [1] Wells' execution in early 1994 was the first in the state in over 36 years, when Raymond Snowden was hanged in October 1957; the next was over 17 years later (November 2011).
No. | Name | Race | Age | Sex | Date of execution | County | Method | Victim(s) | Governor |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Keith Eugene Wells | White | 31 | M | January 6, 1994 | Ada | Lethal injection | John Justad and Brandi Rains | Cecil Andrus |
2 | Paul Ezra Rhoades | White | 54 | M | November 18, 2011 | Bingham and Bonneville | Stacy Baldwin, Nolan Haddon, and Susan Michelbacher | Butch Otter | |
3 | Richard Albert Leavitt | White | 53 | M | June 12, 2012 | Bingham | Danette Jean Elg |
Race | ||
---|---|---|
White | 3 | 100% |
Age | ||
20–29 | 0 | 0% |
30–39 | 1 | 33% |
40–49 | 0 | 0% |
50–59 | 2 | 67% |
Sex | ||
Male | 3 | 100% |
Date of execution | ||
1976–1979 | 0 | 0% |
1980–1989 | 0 | 0% |
1990–1999 | 1 | 33% |
2000–2009 | 0 | 0% |
2010–2019 | 2 | 67% |
2020–2029 | 0 | 0% |
Method | ||
Lethal injection | 3 | 100% |
Governor (Party) | ||
Cecil Andrus (D) | 1 | 33% |
John Evans (D) | 0 | 0% |
Phil Batt (R) | 0 | 0% |
Dirk Kempthorne (R) | 0 | 0% |
Jim Risch (R) | 0 | 0% |
Butch Otter (R) | 2 | 67% |
Brad Little (R) | 0 | 0% |
Total | 3 | 100% |
Previous executions in Idaho were by hanging at the Old Idaho State Penitentiary, east of downtown Boise. The last six were:
Leonard Beck Jordan was an American politician who served as the 23rd governor of Idaho and a United States Senator for over ten years.
Edward James Lodge is an inactive senior United States district judge of the United States District Court for the District of Idaho in Boise, Idaho.
Gracie Bowers Pfost was the first woman to represent Idaho in the United States Congress, serving five terms as a Democrat in the House of Representatives. Pfost represented the state's 1st district from 1953 to 1963.
The Old Idaho Penitentiary State Historic Site was a functional prison from 1872 to 1973 in the western United States, east of Boise, Idaho. The first building, also known as the Territorial Prison, was constructed in the Territory of Idaho in 1870; the territory was seven years old when the prison was built, a full two decades before statehood.
Keith Eugene Wells was an American murderer convicted of the 1990 murders of John Justad and Brandi Rains in Boise, Idaho. He was executed in 1994 by the state of Idaho at the Idaho Maximum Security Institution via lethal injection only one year and nine months after having been sentenced to death by Judge Gerald Schroeder. Wells was the first person to be executed in Idaho since Raymond Snowden was hanged in 1957 and only the tenth since Idaho gained statehood. He chose not to appeal the death sentence although it was appealed on his behalf. The United States Supreme Court rejected an appeal filed against his wishes.
Lyle Hilton Smith was an American football and basketball player, coach, and college athletics administrator.
The 1979 Boise State Broncos football team represented Boise State University in the 1979 NCAA Division I-AA football season. The Broncos competed in the Big Sky Conference and played their home games on campus at Bronco Stadium in Boise, Idaho. They were led by fourth-year head coach Jim Criner and an offensive backfield of juniors: quarterback Joe Aliotti, fullback David Hughes, halfback Cedric Minter, with halfback Terry Zahner in reserve.
The 1957 Idaho Vandals football team represented the University of Idaho in the 1957 college football season. The Vandals were led by fourth-year head coach Skip Stahley and were members of the Pacific Coast Conference. Home games were played on campus at Neale Stadium in Moscow, with one home game in Boise at old Bronco Stadium at Boise Junior College. Led on the field by quarterbacks Howard Willis and Gary Kenworthy, Idaho compiled a 4–4–1 overall record and were 0–3 in the PCC.
The 1952 Idaho Vandals football team represented the University of Idaho in the 1952 college football season. The Vandals were led by second-year head coach Raymond A. Curfman and were members of the Pacific Coast Conference. Home games were played on campus at Neale Stadium in Moscow, with one game in Boise at old Bronco Stadium at Boise Junior College.
The 1992 Boise State Broncos football team represented Boise State University in the 1992 NCAA Division I-AA football season. The Broncos competed in the Big Sky Conference and played their home games at Bronco Stadium in Boise, Idaho. Led by sixth-year head coach Skip Hall, Boise State finished the season 5–6 overall and 3–4 in conference.
The 1990 Boise State Broncos football team represented Boise State University in the 1990 NCAA Division I-AA football season. The Broncos competed in the Big Sky Conference and played their home games on campus at Bronco Stadium in Boise, Idaho. Led by fourth-year head coach Skip Hall, they finished the regular season at 8–3.
The 1956 Idaho Vandals football team represented the University of Idaho in the 1956 college football season. The Vandals were led by third-year head coach Skip Stahley and were members of the Pacific Coast Conference. Home games were played on campus at Neale Stadium in Moscow, with one home game in Boise at old Bronco Stadium at Boise Junior College.
The 1977 Boise State Broncos football team represented Boise State University in the 1977 NCAA Division II football season. The Broncos competed in the Big Sky Conference and played their home games on campus at Bronco Stadium in Boise, Idaho. Led by second-year head coach Jim Criner, the Broncos were 9–2 overall and 6–0 in conference to win the Big Sky title, their fourth in five years.
The 1974 Boise State Broncos football team represented Boise State University during the 1974 NCAA Division II football season, the seventh season of Bronco football and the second in the newly reorganized Division II. The Broncos were in their fifth year as members of the Big Sky Conference and played their home games on campus at Bronco Stadium in Boise, Idaho. This was the first season as "BSU" as the school had recently become a university.
The 1967 Idaho Vandals football team represented the University of Idaho in the 1967 NCAA College Division football season. The Vandals were led by third-year head coach Steve Musseau and played a third season in the Big Sky Conference. Two home games were played on campus at Neale Stadium in Moscow, with another in Boise at old Bronco Stadium at Boise Junior College. The Vandals were 4–6 and were outscored 332 to 156.
The 1951 Idaho Vandals football team represented the University of Idaho as a member of the Pacific Coast Conference (PCC) during the 1951 college football season. Led by first-year head coach Raymond A. Curfman, the Vandals were 2–7. Home games were played on campus at Neale Stadium in Moscow, with one game in Boise at old Bronco Stadium at Boise Junior College and another at Memorial Stadium in Spokane, Washington.
The 1950 Idaho Vandals football team represented the University of Idaho in the 1950 college football season. The Vandals were led by fourth-year head coach Dixie Howell and were members of the Pacific Coast Conference. Home games were played on campus at Neale Stadium in Moscow, with one game in Boise at old Bronco Stadium at Boise Junior College, the season opener at the new venue.
Thomas Eugene Creech is an American serial killer who was convicted of two murders committed in 1974 and sentenced to death in Idaho. The sentence was reduced two years later on appeal to life imprisonment. He was sent back to Idaho's death row for a 1981 murder committed while imprisoned. Creech personally confessed to a total of 42 murders in various states, some of which allegedly involved the Hells Angels and the Church of Satan. Most of his additional confessions are uncorroborated, but police believe strong evidence links Creech to seven additional murder victims. In January 2024, an investigation by the San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department concluded that Creech murdered Daniel A. Walker.
Raymond Allen Snowden was an American man who was convicted of the 1956 murder of Cora Lucyle Dean and executed in Idaho. Snowden was noteworthy for being the last person executed in the state before the 1972 Furman v. Georgia decision by the United States Supreme Court led to a nationwide death penalty moratorium. He was also the last to be executed in Idaho by hanging, as the state adopted a new execution method, lethal injection, after reinstating the death penalty. Due to the nature of the murder he committed, Snowden was known as "Idaho's Jack the Ripper."