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Oklahoma, Tennessee And Alabama Carry Out Three Executions In Single Day
On Thursday, August 13, 2026, Oklahoma, Tennessee and Alabama each carried out a lethal-injection execution, the first time three U.S. states did so on the same calendar day since 2010.[1]
Oklahoma executed 70-year-old Carlos Cuesta-Rodriguez by lethal injection at 10:13 a.m. Central at the Oklahoma State Penitentiary in McAlester for the 2003 killing of his girlfriend, Olimpia Fisher.[2] Tennessee executed 66-year-old Anthony Darrell Hines by lethal injection at 10:43 a.m. Central for the 1985 murder of motel maid Catherine Jean Jenkins; Hines briefly spoke, saying "Tell my son hello," and his son witnessed the execution.[1] Alabama executed Jeremy Williams, who pleaded guilty and declined to appeal in the 2021 rape and strangling murder of 5-year-old Kamarie Holland; prosecutors say he paid the girl's mother $2,500 and filmed the assault.[3]
In May 2026 Tennessee halted an attempted execution of Tony Carruthers after staff spent more than an hour trying to place a required backup IV line.[3] Hines cited that botched May attempt in court, but the Tennessee Supreme Court ruled he had not proven the execution doctor was unqualified.[2]
The three executions bring the U.S. total for 2026 to 21 so far.[1] It was the first time three states executed inmates on the same calendar day since Jan. 7, 2010.[2]
Show source details & analysis (6 sources)
📌 Key Facts
- On Thursday, August 13, 2026, Oklahoma, Tennessee and Alabama carried out executions, marking the first time since January 7, 2010 that three U.S. states executed inmates on the same calendar day (three U.S. states).
- Oklahoma executed 70-year-old Carlos Cuesta-Rodriguez by lethal injection at 10:13 a.m. Central at the Oklahoma State Penitentiary in McAlester for the 2003 murder of his girlfriend, Olimpia Fisher (Carlos Cuesta-Rodriguez).
- Tennessee executed 66-year-old Anthony Darrell Hines by lethal injection at 10:43 a.m. Central for the 1985 murder of motel maid Catherine Jean Jenkins; Hines initially declined last words, then said, "Tell my son hello," and his son—who had reconnected with him four days earlier—witnessed the execution (Anthony Darrell Hines).
- Hines had argued the execution doctor was unqualified and cited his thinness and post-stroke muscular atrophy and risks placing IVs; the challenge referenced the May 2026 failed execution attempt of Tony Carruthers—during which the IV team spent more than an hour trying access—yet the Tennessee Supreme Court found Hines had not shown the doctor was unqualified (Tony Carruthers).
- Alabama executed Jeremy Williams, who pleaded guilty and declined to appeal for the 2021 rape and strangling murder of 5-year-old Kamarie Holland; prosecutors say he paid the child's mother $2,500, filmed the assault and kept the body for continued abuse (Jeremy Williams).
- All three executions were carried out by lethal injection as scheduled that day, with no stays reported in the immediate coverage (lethal injection).
- The executions brought the 2026 U.S. total to 21 so far, and follow a 2025 spike—11 states executed 47 people, the highest annual total since 2009 (21 executions).
📰 Source Timeline (6)
Follow how coverage of this story developed over time
August 14, 2026
12:22 AM
3 states carry out executions in a single day, first time since 2010
New information:
- On Thursday, August 13, 2026, Tennessee and Oklahoma executed inmates within about 30 minutes of each other, followed later that day by an execution in Alabama, marking the first time since January 7, 2010 that three U.S. states carried out executions on the same day.
- The article reiterates that Carlos Cuesta-Rodriguez, 70, was executed by lethal injection at 10:13 a.m. Central at the Oklahoma State Penitentiary in McAlester for the 2003 murder of his girlfriend, Olimpia Fisher, and notes witnesses saw several minutes of labored breathing before he was pronounced dead.
- Anthony Darrell Hines was executed by lethal injection in Tennessee at 10:43 a.m. Central for the 1985 murder of motel maid Catherine Jean Jenkins; he initially declined to give last words, then said, "Tell my son hello," and his son, who had only reconnected with him four days earlier, witnessed the execution.
- The article confirms Alabama executed a man convicted of paying the mother of a 5-year-old girl to abuse her before he raped and killed the child, completing the three same-day executions.
- Nationwide context is updated: 21 executions have been carried out in the United States so far in 2026, with nearly a dozen more scheduled; 11 states executed 47 people in 2025, the highest annual total since 2009.
- The story specifies that Florida has conducted 12 executions so far in 2026 and that Gov. Ron DeSantis oversaw a record 19 executions in 2025, more than any prior Florida governor since 1976, including two executions on a single day in July 2026.
August 13, 2026
3:51 PM
Oklahoma carries out first of 3 executions scheduled for the same day in the U.S.
New information:
- On Thursday, August 13, 2026, Oklahoma executed 70-year-old Carlos Cuesta-Rodriguez by lethal injection at 10:13 a.m. CDT at the Oklahoma State Penitentiary in McAlester.
- Cuesta-Rodriguez was convicted of killing his girlfriend, Olimpia Fisher, in their Oklahoma City home in 2003; he shot her in one eye, waited about eight minutes as she screamed, then fired the fatal shot into her other eye.
- Oklahoma's Pardon and Parole Board voted 3-1 on July 14, 2026, against recommending clemency for Cuesta-Rodriguez, and he did not seek clemency himself, saying he regretted the killing.
- This was Oklahoma's third execution in 2026 and the 20th carried out under Republican Gov. Kevin Stitt, who is leaving office in January after eight years.
- The article reiterates that Tennessee intends to execute Anthony Darrell Hines on August 13, 2026, and details that his execution comes three months after the state halted Tony Carruthers' execution due to problems placing a backup IV line.
- Tennessee inmate Hines, 66, argued unsuccessfully that the doctor who oversaw the botched May execution was unqualified and that his own thinness and muscular atrophy after two strokes create IV-access risks, but the Tennessee Supreme Court ruled he had not shown the doctor was unqualified.
- Alabama is scheduled to execute Jeremy Williams by lethal injection on August 13, 2026, for the 2021 rape and murder of 5-year-old Kamarie Holland; Williams pleaded guilty, declined to appeal, and prosecutors say he paid the child's mother $2,500 to abuse her, filmed the assault and kept the body for further abuse.
- If carried out, Alabama's execution of Williams would be the state's first of 2026; a nitrogen gas execution there was halted in June 2026 after a federal judge ruled the method unconstitutional.
- The article notes that 19 prisoners have been executed across the U.S. so far in 2026 and that 11 states carried out executions in 2025, updating nationwide context for capital punishment activity.
- The piece confirms that the last time three executions were actually carried out on the same calendar day in the U.S. was January 7, 2010, when Louisiana, Ohio and Texas executed inmates, and recalls that three were scheduled on one day in 2018 but only one proceeded.
2:43 PM
Three states prepare to execute killers Thursday in same-day event not seen since 2010
New information:
- The article, published Thursday, August 13, 2026, reiterates that Tennessee, Alabama and Oklahoma plan to execute Anthony Darrell Hines, Jeremy Williams and Carlos Cuesta-Rodriguez later that day, marking the first time since January 7, 2010, that three U.S. states are set to execute inmates on the same calendar day.
- Fox News emphasizes the rarity of the same-day triple execution event and frames it explicitly as not seen since 2010, reinforcing the historical comparison already noted but tying it directly to Thursday’s scheduled executions.
- The piece confirms that all three executions are moving forward as of Thursday morning, August 13, 2026, with no stays yet reported in the article.
9:04 AM
Three States to Execute Inmates on the Same Day
New information:
- The New York Times reports that the executions of Anthony Darrell Hines (Tennessee), Carlos Cuesta-Rodriguez (Oklahoma) and Jeremy Williams (Alabama) are all scheduled to take place on Thursday, August 13, 2026.
- The article states this would be the first time in more than a decade that three death-row inmates are executed in the United States on the same calendar day.
- The story notes Gallup polling showing U.S. public support for capital punishment is at its lowest level in decades, even as the Trump administration describes the death penalty as an 'essential tool for deterring and punishing' horrific crimes.
- The piece adds case details for Oklahoma inmate Carlos Cuesta-Rodriguez, 70, convicted of fatally shooting his then-girlfriend in 2003, which were not specified in the earlier multi-state-execution coverage.
- The article quotes Tennessee's court filings responding to Anthony Hines's legal challenge, asserting that 'the U.S. and Tennessee Constitutions do not demand avoidance of all pain in executions.'
- The New York Times recounts that Maria DeLiberato, attorney for Tennessee inmate Tony Carruthers, wrote that the failed May 2026 execution attempt where staff could not find a vein lasted more than an hour and was 'agonizing,' adding detail to the previously reported incident.
5:43 AM
3 men set for lethal injection on same day in Tennessee, Alabama and Oklahoma
New information:
- The NPR article, published Thursday, August 13, 2026, specifies that all three scheduled executions in Tennessee, Alabama and Oklahoma are to be carried out by lethal injection.
- It details that Tennessee inmate Anthony Darrell Hines, 66, was convicted of the 1985 stabbing murder of motel maid Catherine Jean Jenkins in Kingston Springs, initially sentenced to death in 1986, resentenced to death in 1989, and that his execution date comes three months after Tennessee aborted Tony Carruthers' lethal injection because staff could not place a required backup IV line.
- The piece reports the Tennessee IV team spent more than an hour on May 2026 attempting to place a backup line in Carruthers' arm, hand, foot, and via a central line before Gov. Bill Lee halted the execution and granted a one-year reprieve, and that the Tennessee Supreme Court later found Hines had not proven the execution doctor unqualified and characterized the Carruthers incident as an isolated mishap.
- For Alabama, the article names condemned prisoner Jeremy Williams, 42, who pleaded guilty to the 2021 rape and strangling murder of 5-year-old Georgia girl Kamarie Holland, describes prosecutor allegations that he paid the child's mother $2,500 for sexual access, filmed the assault and kept the body to continue abuse, and notes Williams has declined to appeal and asked that his death sentence be carried out.
- The story notes that Williams was also a suspect in the 2005 death of his infant daughter in Alaska, that charges there were not filed until 2022, and recounts statements from Russell County District Attorney Richard Chancey describing the crime as shocking and horrific.
- The article reiterates that if the Tennessee and Alabama executions proceed, six U.S. states will have carried out executions in 2026 and that the last time three executions occurred on the same calendar day was January 7, 2010, when Louisiana, Ohio and Texas executed inmates.
August 12, 2026