Texas Executes Jamaal Howard Amid Pentobarbital Controversy
Jamaal Howard, 46, was executed by lethal injection in Texas on October 7, 2026, becoming the 30th person put to death in the U.S. this year. The execution used pentobarbital, the same drug involved in the failed attempt to kill Christa Pike in Tennessee one week prior. Howard’s attorneys sought a stay, citing concerns over drug quality and his intellectual disability, but courts denied the requests. Howard was convicted of the 2000 murder of convenience store clerk Vickie Swartout.