International Death Penalty News 2025, Issue 05: India, Iran, Japan, Pakistan, United States of America

India

On Tuesday, January 28, 2025, the Supreme Court acquitted death row inmate Chandrabhan Sudam Sanap. Chandrabhan was convicted of raping and murdering a 23-year-old software professional in Mumbai. However, upon review, the Supreme Court found “gaping holes” in the prosecution’s case, such as inconsistencies in the witness statements and deficiencies in crucial physical evidence. The case gained national attention for concern over women’s safety in the city.

Four family members have been sentenced to death by a district court in Karnataka. They were convicted of murdering 29-year-old Ramesh Madar and 23-year-old Gangamma Rathod in 2019. Ramesh and Gangamma belonged to different castes and Gangamma’s family did not approve of the relationship, which led to the couple being murdered by her brothers, 27-year-old Ravikumar Rathod, and 28-year-old Ramesh Rathod, along with her uncles 25-year-old Shivappa Rathod, and 39-year-old Parashurama Rathod. The couple left behind two children.

Iran

Information obtained by Iran Human Rights indicates that 33-year-old Babak Alipour, 32-year-old Vahid Baniamerian, 32-year-old Pouya Ghobadi, 65-year-old Abolhassan Montazer, 57-year-old Ali Akbar Daneshvarkar, and 58-year-old Mohammad Taghavi have all been sentenced to death for baghy, that is, armed rebellion by being members of an illegal group. Some describe the six men as political prisoners who have all been arrested previously. They were allegedly subject to torture and denied access to a lawyer and medical treatment.

Japan

The death penalty for 46-year-old Aoba Shinji has been finalized. Shinji was convicted and sentenced to death for setting fire to the Kyoto Animation studio in Kyoto City, Japan in July 2019. A total of 36 workers were killed in the fire and 32 others were injured. Shinji initially appealed his sentence, however, he has since withdrawn his appeal. This led to his sentence being finalized.

Pakistan

Four unnamed men have been sentenced to death on blasphemy charges. The men are convicted of showing disrespect to holy figures and desecrating the Quran through postings on social media. In addition to being sentenced to death, the men were also fined and given jail terms in case their death sentences were overturned in the future. A lawyer for the men is already planning to appeal the sentences. Blasphemy laws are highly controversial, with many international human rights group condemning their use. Often, such laws can be used to settle personal disputes. An accusation of blasphemy can ruin a person’s social standing and that of their families. It is also not uncommon for mobs to be formed to attack the one accused of blasphemy.

United States of America

On Friday, January 31, 2025, Marion Bowman was executed in South Carolina. He was 44 years of age. Marion was pronounced dead at 6:27 pm local time, inside the execution chamber at the Broad River Capital Punishment Facility at the Broad River Correctional Institute in Columbia, South Carolina. He was executed for the murder of 21-year-old Kandee Louise Martin on February 16, 2001, in Branchville, South Carolina. 

In 2004, Brenda Andrew was convicted and sentenced to death for murdering her estranged husband, Rob Andrew in Oklahoma in 2001. During the trial, it was revealed that Brenda was having a sexual relationship with fellow Sunday school teacher James Pavatt, who also worked as an insurance agent. James sold Rob a $800,000 life insurance policy and later confessed to murdering Rob with a friend. James has denied Brenda was involved in the murder. Rob was shot and killed after two masked men attacked him and Brenda. After the murder, Brenda and James went to Mexico. They were arrested three months after the murder while attempting to sneak back into the United States. Now, the Supreme Court of the United States has ordered the 10th Circuit Court of Appeals to review her case over concerns that unnecessary sexual history was presented at her initial trial, resulting in the jury being unfairly prejudiced against her.

A new bill in Florida, if passed, would require the death penalty for illegal immigrants convicted of capital crimes. The bill would also require the maximum penalty allowed for illegal immigrants convicted of crimes who are gang members. The bill has the support of the Trump Administration, which is cracking down on illegal immigrants throughout the United States.

The Supreme Court of the United States has refused to hear a petition from Texas death row inmate Paul Storey. Paul was convicted and sentenced to death for the 2006 murder of Jonas Cherry in Hurst, Texas. Storey was appealing his sentence, arguing that prosecutors lied during his trial. He was seeking a new punishment trial. Storey was initially scheduled to be executed in 2017, however, that execution date was halted to investigate the claims that the prosecution violated Storey’s due process rights.

On Wednesday, January 29, 2025, Francisco Oropeza pled guilty to murdering five of his neighbors in San Jacinto County, Texas as part of a plea deal. In exchange for pleading guilty, Oropeza will be sentenced to life in prison, without the possibility of parole. Without the plea deal, Oropeza could have been sentenced to death. Oropeza, a Mexican national, is accused of murdering five members of a neighboring family on April 28, 2023. He committed the murders after they asked him to stop firing a gun near their home. The victims have been identified as eight-year-old Daniel Enrique Laso, 18-year-old Jose Jonathan Casarez, 21-year-old Diana Velazquez Alvarado, 25-year-old Sonia Argentina Guzman, and 31-year-old Julisa Molina Rivera.

The Florida Supreme Court has upheld the death sentence of 49-year-old Matthew Lee Caylor. Taylor is convicted of the July 8, 2008, rape and murder of 13-year-old Melinda Hinson at the Value Lodge Motel in St. Andrews, Florida. Melinda lived with her family at the motel and had gone to Caylor for a cigarette. Instead, Caylor raped her, strangled her, and then hid her body, which was found two days later. Caylor was sentenced to death by a jury vote of 8-4. In 2023, he received a new sentencing trial, however, he chose to have a judge decide instead of a jury, saying he promised Melinda’s mother he wouldn’t put her through another trial. During sentencing, it was revealed that Melinda’s mother had since died. Caylor has since been appealing, arguing that if he knew Melinda’s mother had died, he would have requested a trial by jury. The Florida Supreme Court rejected his appeal.

On Thursday, January 30, 2025, the Montana House of Representatives voted 49-51 against resuming execution in the state. In 2015, a judge ruled that pentobarbital, the drug used in executions in the state, did not qualify as “ultra-fast-acting,” which is required by law. Since then, no executions have been carried out, as they have been unable to come up with another suitable alternative or alter the law to make pentobarbital legal. The bill before the House would have removed the “ultra-fast-acting,” requirement from the law.