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A man in Florida, James Hitchcock, has been scheduled for execution after spending nearly 50 years on death row.
70-year-old Hitchcock was convicted of murder after killing his 13-year-old step-niece, Cynthia Driggers, in 1976. He was sentenced to death the following year.
Hitchcock will be executed by lethal injection at a state prison in Raiford at 6:00 pm (2200 GMT) on Thursday. His long stay on death row makes him one of the inmates who have waited the longest for execution in the United States.
The execution of James Broadnax is also scheduled for Thursday. 37-year-old Broadnax will be executed in Texas for the 2008 robbery and murder of two music producers.
So far this year, eight executions have been carried out in the United States, including five in Florida, two in Texas, and one in Oklahoma.
Last year, there were 47 executions, the highest number since 2009. Florida had the most executions in 2025, followed by Alabama, South Carolina, and Texas.
Most executions are done by lethal injection. However, some states have used other methods, including firing squad and nitrogen gas. The use of nitrogen gas has been criticised by the United Nations, which says it is cruel.
The death penalty has been abolished in 23 US states, while three others, California, Oregon, and Pennsylvania, have paused its use.
Donald Trump supports the death penalty and has called for it to be used more widely. His administration has also advocated for more execution methods beyond lethal injection.
