A 46-year-old death row prisoner in Texas was put to death on Wednesday evening, according to The Hindu, marking the 30th execution carried out in the United States this year. Jamaal Howard received a fatal dose of pentobarbital at the state prison in Huntsville and was pronounced dead at 8:03 p.m., reported the Associated Press.
Texas Carries Out Execution Following Late Appeals
Howard’s execution took place just one week after a failed execution attempt in Tennessee involving Christa Pike, who survived two doses of pentobarbital on September 30. Howard became the first person executed in the country since that incident, which prompted legal challenges from defense attorneys across jurisdictions.
Before the lethal injection was administered, Howard was asked by the warden if he had a final statement. He apologized profusely to members of his victim’s family who watched through a window a few feet from the death chamber, saying he wished for their forgiveness and that he hoped they could learn to forgive him. He also expressed love and thanks to family members in attendance, telling them he was in a good state of mind to find peace.
Witnesses reported that as the pentobarbital began taking effect, Howard took a couple of breaths, gasped, and made snoring sounds that grew progressively quieter. All movement stopped within about 30 seconds, and he was pronounced dead 19 minutes later. His sister, who watched from an adjacent witness room, became distraught and was assisted by corrections officers in exiting the area.
Courts Deny Emergency Appeals Over Drugs and Disability Claims
In the hours leading up to the execution, Howard’s legal team mounted multiple last-minute appeals to halt the procedure. Attorneys filed motions before the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals raising concerns about the quality and risks associated with Texas’ supply of execution drugs, drawing direct parallels to the complications in Pike’s case in Tennessee. The state court denied those requests without comment.
Howard’s lawyers also submitted an emergency appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court, arguing that the execution should be blocked because he was intellectually disabled, and contending that he faced similar risks to those seen in the Tennessee attempt. The Supreme Court declined to intervene without comment, clearing the way for the execution. Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson was the sole justice to publicly dissent from the decision.
The state argued in court filings that Howard’s attorneys had failed to present sufficient evidence establishing that he met the legal requirements for a claim of intellectual disability. Although the U.S. Supreme Court barred the execution of intellectually disabled individuals in 2002, states retain discretion in determining how such disabilities are evaluated.
Details of the 2000 Conviction and 2026 Execution Totals
Howard was convicted of capital murder for the 2000 killing of Vickie Swartout, a 42-year-old convenience store clerk in Silsbee, Texas. Evidence presented at trial included surveillance video showing Howard shooting Swartout once in the chest during a robbery. Court records indicated that Howard, who was 20 years old at the time, took $114 and a carton of cigarettes from the store.
With Howard’s death, Texas has carried out seven executions in 2026 and has two more scheduled later in the year. Nationally, Florida leads all states with 16 executions in 2026. Meanwhile, following the unprecedented outcome involving Pike—who medical experts noted unexpectedly regained consciousness and began speaking after being taken to a hospital—Tennessee Republican Governor Bill Lee halted the single remaining execution scheduled in that state for the year.
