
Texas executes Jamaal Howard, first U.S. death since Tennessee's failed injection
Jamaal Howard, 46, was executed by lethal injection in Texas on October 7, 2026, becoming the first person put to death in the U.S. since the failed attempt on Christa Pike in Tennessee. Howard was convicted of the 2000 murder of convenience store clerk Vickie Swartout. His execution proceeded despite legal challenges citing intellectual disability and concerns over the safety of pentobarbital following Pike's survival. Howard was pronounced dead at 8:03 p.m. in Huntsville, Texas.













