Florida, Alabama and Indiana all carried out executions Thursday, putting to death three people on a day when California Governor Gavin Newsom said he would commute all 548 of the state's death sentences before leaving office.
The unusual trio of executions and Newsom's plans that experts say would represent the largest mass clemency in American history, underscored national divisions over capital punishment.
They also come at a time of renewed attention over the death penalty following Tennessee's botched execution of Christa Pike in September.
In Florida, the state tied a record with its 19th execution this year and is on track to set a new mark in the coming weeks.
Indiana executed a man for killing two children by setting a house fire in 2010, and in Alabama, a man was put to death by lethal injection over killing an older man and woman in a home robbery.
'California may let their criminals escape justice, but not Alabama,' Republican Governor Kay Ivey said. 'Here, we enforce the law and always will.'
It marked the second time since August that three states had conducted executions on a single day, although it remains unusual. Previously, the last time it happened was 2010.
Jesse Guardado was pronounced dead at 6.13pm following a lethal injection at a state prison in Starke, Florida.
Jesse Guardado was pronounced dead at 6.13pm on Thursday following a lethal injection at a state prison in Starke, Florida
DeSantis, who leaves office in January, has said he wants to bring justice to victims' families who have often waited decades for death sentences to be carried out
Law enforcement vehicles sit parked outside the Florida state prison in Starke, Florida (file pic)
He had pleaded guilty to fatally stabbing Jackie Malone, 75, inside her Walton County home in 2004 before stealing her jewelry box, $80 and other valuables to buy drugs. The woman had helped him get a job and housing.
Florida has carried out more than half of the nation's 35 executions so far this year under outgoing Republican Governor Ron DeSantis.
Guardado, 64, was already strapped to a gurney with an IV in his arm when the death chamber curtain went up promptly at 6pm.
Asked if he had a last statement, he replied: 'I would like to once again apologize for the pain and suffering I've caused to the victim's family and my own family as well.'
The drugs began flowing immediately afterward.
Guardado began breathing heavily, followed by some sputtering and twitching.
Soon after, a warden shook Guardado and shouted his name but got no response and a medic then pronounced him dead.
DeSantis, who leaves office in January, has said he wants to bring justice to victims' families who have often waited decades for death sentences to be carried out.
Michael Taylor was executed by lethal injection on Thursday in Alabama for his conviction in the killing of an elderly man and woman in a home robbery
Attorney Kacey Keeton speaks at an event on Monday of this week at the Alabama Capitol in Montgomery, Alabama opposing the scheduled execution of Michael Taylor
He signed the death warrants that led to a state record of 19 executions in 2025. The state is planning two more executions later this year.
Patrick Malone, the victim's son, told reporters that he questioned those who oppose the death penalty.
'Do such people ever think about what happened to the victim or consider the unending aftermath the victim's family endures and relives every time that terrible event comes up?' Malone said.
In Alabama, Michael Taylor, 54, was pronounced dead at 6.10pm local time after a lethal injection.
The execution got underway shortly before 6pm as Taylor replied 'no, sir' when asked if he had any final words.
He appeared to mouth 'thank you' toward his attorneys seated in the witness room.
Taylor's spiritual adviser approached and prayed with him, and he closed his eyes to never open them again.
The entrance to W.C. Holman Correctional Facility in Atmore, Alabama (file photo)
Alabama Governor Kay Ivey described the double murder as 'reprehensible,' revealing that the elderly couple had welcomed Taylor into their home before he attacked them
In 1991, Taylor, then 19, fatally beat Ivan Moore, 83, and his wife Lucille, 79, with a metal bar during a robbery in their Gadsden, Alabama, home.
Police arrested him in their Cadillac an hour away in Birmingham.
Governor Kay Ivey described the double murder as 'reprehensible,' revealing that the elderly couple had welcomed Taylor into their home before he attacked them.
She said Taylor had killed the couple to steal money for clothing and jewelry.
Death penalty opponents had urged Ivey to commute Taylor's sentence to life in prison, noting his age and immaturity then. She declined.
The victims' family thanked the state attorney general's office for bringing closure, but they lamented having to wait 35 years for the death sentence to be imposed.
'We know that a person has the right to appeal, but there should come a time when the jury's decision is final,' a family statement said.
'For all these years, our family has had to live with the waiting, the delays, and the uncertainty,' the statement said. 'We have never forgotten our loved ones or what was taken from us.'
The state switched Taylor's execution method after a judge declared a nitrogen gas method unconstitutional.
His attorneys objected since he selected nitrogen gas as his method years ago, but a judge ruled against Taylor.
Attorneys for Taylor said in a statement that he knew the harm he had caused and that 'Michael´s life was proof that God isn't finished with any of us.'
Jeffrey Weisheit was executed by lethal injection for the murder of Alyssa Lynch, eight, and five-year-old Caleb Lynch
Caleb and Alyssa Lynch were murdered by Weisheit in Indiana in 2010
Eight-year-old Alyssa Lynch and her five-year-old brother Caleb were trapped inside the burning house that had been set alight by Weisheit
In Indiana, Jeffrey Weisheit, 50, was pronounced dead at 12.45am at the state prison in Michigan City, said Noelle Russell, a Department of Correction spokesperson.
Weisheit's final meal was barbecue ribs. He had no final words.
Weisheit had acknowledged killing his girlfriend's two children in a house fire in the Evansville area in 2010 but had hoped Governor Mike Braun would grant clemency and change his sentence to life in prison. Braun declined.
Following the execution, Braun said the case had undergone repeated reviews in state and federal courts, none of which resulted in Weisheit's sentence being overturned.
'Today, Weisheit's sentence has been carried out as ordered by the court,' he said.
His victims were eight-year-old Alyssa Lynch and her five-year-old brother Caleb, who were trapped inside the burning house.
Alyssa's body was discovered in a closet, while Caleb was found on a mattress, restrained with duct tape. Investigators discovered a railroad flare inside his underwear and another beneath his body.
The collapsed ruins of Lisa Lynch's home in northern Vanderburgh County after it was burnt down by Jeffrey Weisheit on April 10, 2010
All that is left of the house where Alyssa and Caleb Lynch burned to death while their mother's boyfriend was supposed to be looking after them
A memorial near the road at the home of Jeffrey Weisheit is one of two memorials that were constructed at the property after their deaths
The flames were said to be so intense that it took cadaver dogs several hours to locate the children's bodies in the charred ruins
The children's mother, Lisa Lynch, was at work when the fire broke out, having left Alyssa and Caleb in Weisheit's care. Investigators said her relationship with Weisheit had been deteriorating.
During court testimony, she described Alyssa as a creative little girl who loved drawing pictures of her family, while Caleb enjoyed hugs, cooking and playing with trucks and trains.
'Every birthday, every holiday, every landmark moment is marked by their agonizing absence,' she said.
'Time passes but the weight of losing them never fades. They will always be my children.'
The execution provided 'long-awaited justice for Alyssa Lynch and her brother Caleb, two innocent children whose lives were stolen in an act of unspeakable cruelty,' Indiana Attorney General Todd Rokita said.
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