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Two convicted killers were executed by lethal injection Thursday morning in Tennessee and Oklahoma, while Alabama prepared to carry out a third execution later in the day.
Carlos Cuesta-Rodriguez was pronounced dead at 10:13 a.m. local time in McAlester, Oklahoma, for killing his girlfriend, Olimpia Fisher. About 30 minutes later, Anthony Darrell Hines was pronounced dead in Tennessee for the murder of motel maid Catherine Jean Jenkins.
Alabama was still expected to execute Jeremy Williams later Thursday for the rape and murder of 5-year-old Kamarie Holland.
The Associated Press reported that three states last carried out executions on a single day on Jan. 7, 2010, when prisoners were put to death in Louisiana, Ohio and Texas.
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Three executions were also set to happen on the same day in 2018, though only one took place after Alabama officials struggled to place an IV line and Texas granted a reprieve.
Florida executed two men in one day in July, bringing its total number of executions since the beginning of 2025 to 31.
Eleven states carried out executions last year. Tennessee became the fifth state to carry out an execution in 2026. Alabama would become the sixth if Williams is put to death.
Hines was put to death by lethal injection in Tennessee and pronounced dead at 10:43 a.m. local time.
Before the procedure, he was asked if he had any final words, at which point he said, “Not right now, thank you.”
Hines then said, “Tell my son hello,” before he was pronounced dead.
Hines’ son attended the execution, and had only reconnected with his father four days ago, having not seen him since he was 3 years old.
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Nearly four minutes after the death chamber curtains opened, Hines reportedly asked his spiritual adviser how long he had.
Moments later, witnesses heard heavy breathing and groans as the spiritual advisor prayed over him with her hands on his shoulders.
After the execution, Jenkins’ son, Dennis Jenkins, told reporters his mother was killed and only had a plastic spray bottle to defend herself.
“I hope he did suffer,” Dennis said. “I hope he felt severe pain because what he did to my mother is nothing compared to what he may have just gone through.”
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In Alabama, Williams was still scheduled to be executed later Thursday for the 2021 rape and murder of 5-year-old Kamarie Holland of Georgia.
Williams pleaded guilty, gave up his appeals and asked to be put to death.
Prosecutors said the 42-year-old paid Holland’s mother $2,500 before sexually assaulting and strangling the girl. They said he recorded the attack and kept her body so he could continue abusing it.
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“To see on video what he did to this baby, what a grown man could do to a child, it’s shocking, it’s horrible, it’s disgusting,” Russell County District Attorney Richard Chancey said. “It’s just a level of evil.”
Williams was also investigated in Alaska in 2005 in connection with his infant daughter’s death, though no charges were filed until 2022.
Alabama has not carried out an execution this year. If Williams is put to death, he would be the first. A federal judge halted a planned nitrogen gas execution in the state back in June after finding the method unconstitutional.
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Cuesta-Rodriguez was executed by lethal injection in McAlester, Oklahoma on Thursday morning, making him the third person to be put to death this year in the state.
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While he did not have any last words, Cuesta-Rodriguez reportedly turned toward two relatives who attended the execution and mouthed, “I love you.”
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He was pronounced dead at 10:13 a.m. local time.
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Fisher’s daughters, Cinthya Allen and Katya Wallis, did not attend the execution, though they released a statement acquired by the AP, saying they hope the execution raises awareness to preventing domestic violence.
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The daughters also said they honor their mother by “raising our families to reflect the love and faith in God that she taught us.”
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“Our faith in Jesus has allowed us to forgive,” they said.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
