List of people executed in Louisiana

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The following is a list of people executed by the U.S. state of Louisiana since capital punishment was resumed in the United States in 1976.

Contents

A total of 29 people convicted of murder have been executed by the state of Louisiana since 1976. Of the 29 people executed, 20 were executed via electrocution, 8 via lethal injection and 1 via nitrogen hypoxia. The most recent Louisiana inmate to be put to death, Jessie Hoffman Jr., was the first in the state to be executed by nitrogen hypoxia. [1] [2]

List of people executed in Louisiana since 1976

No.NameRaceAgeSexDate of executionParishMethodVictim(s)Governor
1 Robert Wayne Williams Black31MDecember 14, 1983 East Baton Rouge Electrocution [a] Willie Kelly Dave Treen
2Johnny Davis Taylor Jr.Black30MFebruary 29, 1984 Jefferson David Vogler
3 Elmo Patrick Sonnier White34MApril 5, 1984 Iberia Loretta Bourque and David LeBlanc Edwin Edwards
4Timothy George BaldwinWhite46MSeptember 10, 1984 Ouachita Mary Lee Peters
5Earnest Knighton Jr.Black38MOctober 30, 1984 Bossier Ralph Shell
6 Robert Lee Willie White26MDecember 28, 1984 St. Tammany Faith Hathaway
7 David Dene Martin White32MJanuary 4, 1985 Terrebonne 4 murder victims [b]
8Benjamin A. BerryWhite31MJune 7, 1987 Jefferson Jefferson Parish Deputy Sheriff Robert Cochran [3]
9Alvin Rudolph Moore Jr.Black27MJune 9, 1987 Bossier Jo Ann Wilson
10 Jimmy L. Glass White25MJune 12, 1987 Webster Newt Brown and Erlene Brown
11 Jimmy C. Wingo White35MJune 16, 1987
12Willie Lawrence CelestineBlack30MJuly 20, 1987 Lafayette Marcelaine Richard
13Willie WatsonBlack31MJuly 24, 1987 St. Charles Kathy Newman
14John E. BrogdonWhite25MJuly 30, 1987Barbara Jo Brown
15Sterling John Rault Jr.White36MAugust 24, 1987 [c] Orleans Jane Ellen Francioni
16Wayne Robert FeldeWhite38MMarch 15, 1988 [d] Caddo Shreveport Police Officer Glen Tompkins [4] Buddy Roemer
17 Leslie Lowenfield Black34MApril 13, 1988 Jefferson 5 murder victims [e]
18Edward R. Byrne Jr. [f] White28MJune 14, 1988 Bossier Roberta June Johnson
19 Dalton Prejean Black30MMay 18, 1990 Lafayette Louisiana State Police Trooper Donald Cleveland
20 Andrew Lee Jones Black35MJuly 22, 1991 East Baton Rouge Tumekica Jackson
21 Robert Wayne Sawyer White41MMarch 5, 1993 Jefferson Lethal injection Frances ArwoodEdwin Edwards
22 Thomas Lee Ward Black59MMay 16, 1995 Orleans Wilbert John Spencer
23 Antonio G. James Black42MMarch 1, 1996Henry Silver Mike Foster
24 John Ashley Brown Jr. White35MApril 24, 1997Omer Laughlin
25 Dobie Gillis Williams Black38MJanuary 8, 1999 Sabine [g] Sonja Knippers
26 Feltus Taylor Jr. Black38MJune 6, 2000 East Baton Rouge Donna Ponsano
27 Leslie Dale Martin White35MMay 10, 2002 Calcasieu Christina Burgin
28 Gerald James Bordelon [h] White47MJanuary 7, 2010 Livingston Courtney LeBlanc Bobby Jindal
29 Jessie Dean Hoffman Jr. Black46MMarch 18, 2025 St. Tammany Nitrogen hypoxia [i] Mary Margaret Elliott Jeff Landry

Demographics

Race
White15
Black14
Age
20–295
30–3918
40–495
50–591
Sex
Male29
Date of execution
1976–19790
1980–198918
1990–19997
2000–20092
2010–20191
2020–20291
Method
Electrocution 20
Lethal injection 8
Nitrogen hypoxia 1
Governor (Party)
Edwin Edwards (D) [j] 15
Dave Treen (R) 2
Buddy Roemer (D/R) [k] 5
Mike Foster (R) 5
Kathleen Blanco (D) 0
Bobby Jindal (R) [l] 1
John Bel Edwards (D) 0
Jeff Landry (R) 1
Total29100%

See also

Notes

  1. Since the reinstatement of the death penalty in 1976, Louisiana is one of only two states to have executed more people via electrocution than lethal injection (Nebraska, which required electrocution until 2009, is the other).
  2. The 4 victims were: Bobby Todd, Terry Hebert, Sandra Brake, and Anne Tierney.
  3. Louisiana executed a total of 8 inmates in 1987, the highest of all states for that calendar year and accounting for nearly a third of all executions in 1987.
  4. Felde was executed 12 hours after Buddy Roemer's inauguration as Louisiana governor. Roemer and his predecessor, Edwin Edwards, each rejected appeals for clemency.
  5. The 5 victims were: Sheila Thomas, Shantel Osborne, Carol Osborne, Owen Griffin, and Myrtle Griffin.
  6. Edward R. Byrne Jr. was the 100th person to be executed in the United States since the death penalty was reinstated in 1976.
  7. Was tried and convicted in Grant Parish.
  8. Bordelon waived all appeals and was voluntarily executed.
  9. Louisiana became the second state after Alabama to carry out executions by nitrogen hypoxia.
  10. Capital punishment in Louisiana was officially reinstated in 1977 (after a 1973 law was ruled unconstitutional by the Supreme Court) during Edwards' second of four terms as governor. His second term expired March 10, 1980. His third term was March 12, 1984-March 14, 1988; his fourth was January 13, 1992-January 8, 1996.
  11. Roemer switched his party affiliation from Democratic to Republican on March 11, 1991.
  12. Gerald Bordelon, the only person executed during Jindal's two terms, waived all appeals.

References

  1. "Execution Database | Death Penalty Information Center". Death Penalty Information Center. Retrieved January 11, 2020.
  2. "Louisiana uses nitrogen gas for first time in death row execution". The Guardian . March 18, 2025.
  3. Coates, Guy. "Benjamin Berry Dies In Electric Chair". Associated Press.
  4. McGill, Kevin. "Felde Executed In Louisiana With AM-Darden Bjt". Associated Press.