List of people executed in the United States in 1997

Seventy-four people, all male, were executed in the United States in 1997, sixty-eight by lethal injection, and six by electrocution. Maryland carried out its first involuntary execution since the early 1960s. ^[1] Colorado conducted its last execution that same year before the state officially abolished capital punishment in 2020. ^[2] Oregon conducted its last execution that same year before the state suspended the use of capital punishment, with then Governor Kate Brown commuting the death sentences of 17 inmates to life without parole and thus emptying the state's death row before the end of her term in 2022. ^[3] A particularly notorious execution was that of Joseph Roger O'Dell, controversially executed by Virginia amid protests from the international community and despite serious doubts about his actual guilt.

List of people executed in the United States in 1997

No.	Date of execution	Name	Age of person			Gender	Ethnicity	State	Method	Ref.
			At execution	At offense	Age difference
1	January 8, 1997	Earl Van Denton	47	28	19	Male	White	Arkansas	Lethal injection	[4]
2		Paul Ruiz	49	29	20		Hispanic			[4]
3		Kirt Douglas Wainwright	30	22	8		Black			[5]
4	January 10, 1997	Billy Wayne Waldrop	44	30	14		White	Alabama	Electrocution	[6]
5	January 23, 1997	Randall Greenawalt	47	29	18			Arizona	Lethal injection	[7]
6	January 29, 1997	Eric Adam Schneider	35	23	12			Missouri		[8]
7	February 6, 1997	Michael Carl George	39	33	6			Virginia		[9]
8	February 10, 1997	Richard Lewis Brimage Jr.	41	31	10			Texas		[10]
9	February 26, 1997	Coleman Wayne Gray	38	27	11		Black	Virginia		[11]
10	March 12, 1997	John Kennedy Barefield	32	22	10			Texas		[12]
11	March 25, 1997	Pedro Luis Medina	39	24	15		Hispanic	Florida	Electrocution	[13]
12	April 2, 1997	David Lee Herman		32	7		White	Texas	Lethal injection	[14]
13	April 3, 1997	David Wayne Spence	40	25	15					[15]
14	April 14, 1997	Billy Joe Woods	50	28	22					[16]
15	April 16, 1997	Kenneth Edward Gentry	36	22	14					[17]
16	April 21, 1997	Benjamin Herbert Boyle	53	42	11					[18]
17	April 24, 1997	John Ashley Brown Jr.	35	23	12			Louisiana		[19]
18	April 29, 1997	Ernest Orville Baldree	55	44	11			Texas		[20]
19	May 2, 1997	Walter Hill	62	41	21		Black	Alabama	Electrocution	[21]
20	May 6, 1997	Terry Washington	33	23	10			Texas	Lethal injection	[22]
21	May 8, 1997	Scott Dawn Carpenter	22	19	3		White	Oklahoma		[23]
22	May 13, 1997	Anthony Ray Westley	36	23	13		Black	Texas		[24]
23	May 16, 1997	Harry Charles Moore	56	51	5		White	Oregon		[25]
24		Clifton Eugene Belyeu	38	27	11			Texas		[26]
25	May 19, 1997	Richard Gerry Drinkard	39	28						[27]
26	May 20, 1997	Clarence Allen Lackey	42	22	20					[28]
27	May 21, 1997	Bruce Edwin Callins	37	20	17		Black			[29]
28	May 22, 1997	Larry Wayne White	47	26	21		White			[30]
29	May 28, 1997	Robert Anthony Madden	33	22	11					[31]
30	June 2, 1997	Patrick Fitzgerald Rogers		21	12		Black			[32]
31	June 3, 1997	Kenneth Bernard Harris	34	23	11					[33]
32	June 4, 1997	Dorsie Lee Johnson Jr.	30	19						[34]
33		Davis Losada	32		13		Hispanic			[35]
34	June 6, 1997	Henry Francis Hays	42	26	16		White	Alabama	Electrocution	[36]
35	June 11, 1997	Earl Russell Behringer	33	22	11			Texas	Lethal injection	[37]
36	June 13, 1997	Michael Eugene Elkins	41	35	6			South Carolina		[38]
37	June 16, 1997	David Wayne Stoker	38	27	11			Texas		[39]
38	June 17, 1997	Eddie James Johnson	44	35	9		Black			[40]
39	June 18, 1997	Irineo Tristan Montoya	30	18	12		Hispanic			[41]
40	June 25, 1997	William Lyle Woratzeck	51	34	17		White	Arizona		[42]
41	July 1, 1997	Harold I. McQueen Jr.	44	27				Kentucky	Electrocution	[43]
42	July 2, 1997	Flint Gregory Hunt	38	26	12		Black	Maryland	Lethal injection	[44]
43	July 17, 1997	Roy Bruce Smith	50	41	9		White	Virginia		[45]
44	July 23, 1997	Joseph Roger O'Dell III	54		13					[46]
45	July 29, 1997	Robert Wallace West Jr.	35	20	15		Native American	Texas		[47]
46	August 6, 1997	Ralph Cecil Feltrop	42	32	10		White	Missouri		[48]
47		Eugene Wallace Perry	53	36	17			Arkansas		[49]
48	August 13, 1997	Donald Edward Reese	54	43	11			Missouri		[50]
49	August 19, 1997	Carlton Jerome Pope	35	23	12		Black	Virginia		[51]
50	August 20, 1997	Andrew Wessel Six	32	21	11		White	Missouri		[52]
51	September 9, 1997	James Carl Lee Davis	34		13		Black	Texas		[53]
52	September 17, 1997	Mario Benjamin Murphy	25	19	6		Hispanic	Virginia		[54]
53	September 22, 1997	Jessel Turner	37	25	12		Black	Texas		[55]
54	September 24, 1997	Samuel Lee McDonald Jr.	48	32	16			Missouri		[56]
55	September 25, 1997	Benjamin C. Stone	45	43	2		White	Texas		[57]
56	September 30, 1997	John William Cockrum	38	27	11					[58]
57	October 1, 1997	Dwight Dwayne Adanandus	41	31	10		Black			[59]
58	October 8, 1997	Ricky Lee Green	36	24	12		White			[60]
59	October 13, 1997	Gary Lee Davis	53	41				Colorado		[61]
60	October 22, 1997	Alan Jeffrey Bannister	39	24	15			Missouri		[62]
61	October 28, 1997	Kenneth Ray Ransom	34	20	14		Black	Texas		[63]
62	November 4, 1997	Aua Lauti	43	31	12		Pacific Islander			[64]
63	November 6, 1997	Aaron Lee Fuller	30	21	9		White			[65]
64	November 7, 1997	Earl Matthews Jr.	32	19	13		Black	South Carolina		[66]
65	November 13, 1997	Dawud Majid Mu'Min	44	35	9	Virginia		[67]
66	November 19, 1997	Walter Stewart	41	23	18	Illinois		[68]
67		Durlyn Eddmonds	45	25	20			[69]
68		Michael Eugene Sharp	43	28	15	White	Texas	[70]
69	November 20, 1997	Gary Burris	40	23	17	Black	Indiana	[71]
70	November 21, 1997	Charlie Livingston	35	21	14		Texas	[72]
71	December 2, 1997	Robert Edward Williams	61	40	21		Nebraska	Electrocution	[73]
72	December 9, 1997	Michael Lee Lockhart	37	27	10	White	Texas	Lethal injection	[74]
73		Michael Charles Satcher	29	21	8	Black	Virginia		[75]
74	December 11, 1997	Thomas Howard Beavers Jr.	26	18		White			[76]
		Average:	40 years	28 years	13 years

Demographics

Gender
Male	74	100%
Female	0	0%
Ethnicity
White	41	55%
Black	26	35%
Hispanic	5	7%
Native American	1	1%
Pacific Islander	1	1%
State
Texas	37	50%
Virginia	9	12%
Missouri	6	8%
Arkansas	4	5%
Alabama	3	4%
Arizona	2	3%
Illinois	2	3%
South Carolina	2	3%
Colorado	1	1%
Florida	1	1%
Indiana	1	1%
Kentucky	1	1%
Louisiana	1	1%
Maryland	1	1%
Nebraska	1	1%
Oklahoma	1	1%
Oregon	1	1%
Method
Lethal injection	68	92%
Electrocution	6	8%
Month
January	6	8%
February	3	4%
March	2	3%
April	7	9%
May	11	15%
June	11	15%
July	5	7%
August	5	7%
September	6	8%
October	5	7%
November	9	12%
December	4	5%
Age
20–29	4	5%
30–39	36	49%
40–49	22	30%
50–59	10	14%
60–69	2	3%
Total	74	100%

Executions in recent years

Number of executions
1998	68
1997	74
1996	45
Total	187

References

1. "Execution List 1997". Death Penalty Information Center . Retrieved May 23, 2025.
2. "Colorado abolishes the death penalty". NBC News . March 23, 2020.
3. "Oregon governor commutes sentences of everyone on death row in state". The Guardian . December 13, 2022.
4. "Natural State History: Duo executed in 1997 for killing marshal, park ranger". KNWA. May 12, 2015.
5. "ARKANSAS EXECUTES 3 KILLERS IN 1 NIGHT". Associated Press. January 9, 1997.
6. "Billy Wayne Waldrop Executed by Electric Chair". Democracy Now!. January 10, 1997.
7. "Arizona Inmate Is Executed for 4 Killings". The New York Times. January 24, 1997.
8. "MISSOURIAN BLOWS KISSES BEFORE HIS EXECUTION". Deseret News. January 29, 1997.
9. "VIRGINIA EXECUTES MAN WHO TORTURED, KILLED TEEN". Orlando Sentinel. February 7, 1997.
10. "Rapist and Murderer Is Executed in Texas". The New York Times. February 11, 1997.
11. "COLEMAN GRAY PUT TO DEATH BY INJECTION". The Virginian-Pilot. February 27, 1997.
12. "Texas Executes Killer Of College Student". The New York Times. March 14, 1997.
13. "FLAMES SHOOT FROM CONVICT AT EXECUTION". The Washington Post. March 25, 1997.
14. "Texas Executes Killer Who Tried Suicide". The New York Times. April 3, 1997.
15. "Texas Executes Man In Killing of Youths". The New York Times. April 4, 1997.
16. "After 21-Year Wait, Texas Executes Man". The New York Times. April 15, 1997.
17. "Execution List 1997". Death Penalty Information Center . Retrieved May 23, 2025.
18. "This Little-Known Serial Killer Was Busted in Amarillo". Kiss FM 96.9. August 18, 2022.
19. "Aerospace engineer's killer is put to death by injection". Deseret News. April 24, 1997.
20. "Inmate executed for killing couple who tried to help him". Deseret News. April 30, 1997.
21. "Five-time killer executed for triple slaying in 1977". The Selma Times-Journal. May 4, 1997.
22. "Retarded Man Executed For Manager's Murder". The New York Times. May 7, 1997.
23. "Scott Dawn Carpenter, 22, Executed in Oklahoma". Democracy Now!. May 8, 1997.
24. "Execution List 1997". Death Penalty Information Center . Retrieved May 23, 2025.
25. "Oregon Executes a Killer". The New York Times. May 17, 1997.
26. "Texas Executes Inmate For a 1985 Murder". The New York Times. May 18, 1997.
27. "As Texas Executions Mount, They Grow Routine". The New York Times. May 25, 1997.
28. "TEXAS EXECUTES SECOND INMATE THIS WEEK". The Washington Post. May 21, 1997.
29. "Execution List 1997". Death Penalty Information Center . Retrieved May 23, 2025.
30. "UPI Focus: Texas executes fourth in as many days". UPI. May 22, 1997.
31. "Execution List 1997". Death Penalty Information Center . Retrieved May 23, 2025.
32. "Texas Executes Killer, Plans a Record 11 for Month". Los Angeles Times. June 3, 1997.
33. "Rapist-strangler expresses sorrow, then is executed". Deseret News. June 4, 1997.
34. "Two More Executions Tie Record for Texas". Los Angeles Times. June 5, 1997.
35. "UPI Focus: Texas completes double execution". UPI. June 4, 1997.
36. "Klan Member Put to Death In Race Death". The New York Times. June 6, 1997.
37. "TEXAS EXECUTES KILLER OF PAIR ON LOVERS LANE". Chicago Tribune. June 12, 1997.
38. "South Carolina to execute 12th inmate". UPI. June 12, 1997.
39. "Texas Executes Inmate In Murder of Store Clerk". The New York Times. June 17, 1997.
40. "Inmate Is Executed For a Triple Murder". The New York Times. June 18, 1997.
41. "Mexico Reacts Bitterly to Execution of One of Its Citizens in Texas". The New York Times. June 20, 1997.
42. "Man executed for strangling mentally impaired woman". Deseret News. June 25, 1997.
43. "Ky. inmate executed". UPI. July 1, 1997.
44. "PRISONER WHO KILLED BALTIMORE OFFICER IS EXECUTED". The Washington Post. July 3, 1997.
45. "VIRGINIA EXECUTES KILLER OF MANASSAS POLICE OFFICER". The Washington Post. July 17, 1997.
46. "Convicted Killer O'Dell Is Married, Then Executed". Los Angeles Times. July 24, 1997.
47. "Execution List 1997". Death Penalty Information Center . Retrieved May 23, 2025.
48. "Missouri Executes Killer Who Cut Up a Woman". The New York Times. August 7, 1997.
49. "Execution List 1997". Death Penalty Information Center . Retrieved May 23, 2025.
50. "Condemned Man's Last Hours Crawl in Cycles of Hope, Despair". Los Angeles Times. October 5, 1997.
51. "Virginia Executes Man Who Killed and Robbed". The New York Times. August 20, 1997.
52. "Witness to an Execution Finds Retribution but Little Relief". Los Angeles Times. October 26, 1997.
53. "Execution List 1997". Death Penalty Information Center . Retrieved May 23, 2025.
54. "Mexican Murderer Gets Lethal Injection". Los Angeles Times. September 18, 1997.
55. "Cabbie's killer apologizes before execution in Texas". Deseret News. September 23, 1997.
56. "My friend's execution". The Christian Century. November 11, 1998.
57. "Texas executes 28th person this year". UPI. September 25, 1997.
58. "Texas woman's killer gets his wish: lethal injection". Deseret News. October 1, 1997.
59. "Execution List 1997". Death Penalty Information Center . Retrieved May 23, 2025.
60. "National News Briefs; Convicted Serial Killer Is Executed in Texas". The New York Times. October 9, 1997.
61. "In 1997, Colorado's first execution in 30 years marked a watershed moment. But did it change the conversation about capital punishment?". The Colorado Sun. March 4, 2019.
62. "Missouri inmate, subject of documentary, is executed". Deseret News. October 22, 1997.
63. "Mother collapses, screams as Texas executes her son". Deseret News. October 29, 1997.
64. "Man Executed for Murdering Cousin". Los Angeles Times. November 5, 1997.
65. "Man Is Executed for '89 Robbery-Murder". Los Angeles Times. November 7, 1997.
66. "Execution List 1997". Death Penalty Information Center . Retrieved May 23, 2025.
67. "MAN EXECUTED BY VIRGINIA FOR 1988 DALE CITY SLAYING". The Washington Post. November 14, 1997.
68. "2 killers are put to death on the same night in Illinois". Deseret News. November 19, 1997.
69. "2 killers are put to death on the same night in Illinois". Deseret News. November 19, 1997.
70. "A convicted killer's last words". ZDNet. November 20, 1997.
71. "Execution List 1997". Death Penalty Information Center . Retrieved May 23, 2025.
72. "UPI Focus: Texas executes 36th inmate of year". UPI. November 21, 1997.
73. "Williams marks state's third electrocution". The Daily Nebraskan. June 16, 2006.
74. "30 years ago: The serial killer trial that shocked San Antonio". mySA. March 22, 2018.
75. "Virginia Executed Bike Path Killer". The Washington Post. December 10, 1997.
76. Barisic, Sonja (December 12, 1997). "Virginia executes man who raped, killed widow". The News Virginian . p. 15. Retrieved June 9, 2025– via Newspapers.com.

Preceded by 1996

List of people executed       in the United States in    1997

Succeeded by 1998