The following is a list of people executed by the
U.S. state of
Nevada.
__NOTOC__
Between 1861 and 1903
Between late 1861, when
Nevada Territory was organized, and 1903, executions by
hanging were conducted at the county seats in which the person was convicted.
There has not been a definitive compilation of legal executions conducted in Nevada prior to 1903, however there are 20 known legal executions between 1861 and 1903:
1903–1921: People executed at the state capital
The 1901
state legislature
A state legislature is a legislative branch or body of a political subdivision in a federal system.
Two federations literally use the term "state legislature":
* The legislative branches of each of the fifty state governments of the United Sta ...
required that all executions be conducted at the State Prison in
Carson City
Carson City is an Independent city (United States), independent city and the capital of the U.S. state of Nevada. As of the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census, the population was 58,639, making it the List of cities in Nevada, sixth largest ...
beginning in 1903.
The 1911 state legislature provided that a death row inmate could elect to
die by shooting or hanging.
1921–1976: Nevada State Prison gas chamber
Prior to January 1, 1912 the law prescribed hanging as the means of carrying out the death sentence in the State of Nevada, however, upon revision of the statutes in 1911 the condemned were allowed a choice between the
gallows and the firing squad. This remained the law until March 28, 1921 when an amendment was adopted providing for execution by means of
lethal gas
A gas chamber is an apparatus for killing humans or other animals with gas, consisting of a sealed chamber into which a poisonous or asphyxiant gas is introduced. Poisonous agents used include hydrogen cyanide and carbon monoxide.
History ...
. Nevada was the first state to sanction the use of the gas chamber.
The first execution by use of lethal gas took place in February 1924 and has been used as the means of carrying out the death sentence a total of thirty-one times. The last execution was held October 22, 1979.
After 1976
A total of 12 people convicted of murder have been executed by the state of
Nevada since 1976. The first execution was carried out by
gas chamber; subsequent executions were carried out by
lethal injection
Lethal injection is the practice of injecting one or more drugs into a person (typically a barbiturate, paralytic, and potassium solution) for the express purpose of causing rapid death. The main application for this procedure is capital puni ...
. All but one (
Richard Allen Moran) waived their appeals and asked that the execution be carried out.
See also
*
Capital punishment in Nevada
Capital punishment is a legal penalty in the U.S. state of Nevada.
There have been no executions in Nevada since 2006, in part because of a shortage of drugs used in executions by lethal injection. In April 2021, the Nevada Assembly passed a bil ...
*
Capital punishment in the United States
In the United States, capital punishment is a legal penalty throughout the country at the federal level, in 27 states, and in American Samoa. It is also a legal penalty for some military offenses. Capital punishment has been abolished in 23 s ...
References
{{CapPun-US
People executed by Nevada
Nevada
People executed
Executions
Capital punishment, also known as the death penalty, is the state-sanctioned practice of deliberately killing a person as a punishment for an actual or supposed crime, usually following an authorized, rule-governed process to conclude that t ...