Tennessee and Oklahoma executed two convicted murderers within 30 minutes of each other Thursday, part of a rare triple execution day that marked the first time three states carried out death sentences simultaneously since 2010. Alabama scheduled a third execution later that evening, signaling an acceleration in capital punishment across America.

Simultaneous Deaths in Two States

Carlos Cuesta-Rodriguez, 70, died by lethal injection at 10:13 a.m. in McAlester, Oklahoma, for the 2003 murder of his girlfriend Olimpia Fisher. Witnesses reported his breathing remained labored for several minutes before death. Cuesta-Rodriguez had shot Fisher in one eye, then waited approximately eight minutes as she screamed for help before firing the fatal shot into her other eye when she attempted to leave him.

Just 30 minutes later, Tennessee executed Anthony Darrell Hines at 10:43 a.m. for stabbing 54-year-old motel maid Catherine Jean Jenkins to death in 1985. Hines reconnected with his adult son only four days before the execution, seeing him for the first time since the boy was three years old. His final words were simply asking his spiritual adviser how much time remained.

Rising Execution Numbers Nationwide

The coordinated executions represent a sharp increase in capital punishment activity. Eleven states executed 47 people in 2025, the highest total since 2009. Florida alone has put 31 prisoners to death since the start of 2025 and executed two men on the same day in July. Oklahoma has now executed 20 people under Republican Governor Kevin Stitt, who leaves office in January after eight years in power.

The last triple execution day occurred January 7, 2010, when Louisiana, Ohio and Texas carried out death sentences. Three executions were scheduled for the same day in 2018, but only one proceeded after Texas granted a reprieve and Alabama encountered problems establishing an IV line.

Victims’ Families Seek Closure

Fisher’s daughters, Cinthya Allen and Katya Wallis, did not attend the execution but released a statement hoping the death brings awareness to domestic violence prevention. They said their Christian faith allowed them to forgive and they honor their mother by raising their families with the love and faith she taught them. Cuesta-Rodriguez had requested no clemency and told the pardon board he regretted the killing.

Alabama’s scheduled execution Thursday evening involved a man convicted of killing a five-year-old girl he paid her mother to abuse, completing the unprecedented modern-day triple execution. The coordinated timing raises questions about whether states are deliberately scheduling executions together or if the convergence reflects broader trends in accelerated capital punishment.