Dawud E. Spaulding was scheduled to be executed at 10 local time on Wednesday, January 20, 2021, at the Southern Ohio Correctional Facility in Mansfield, Ohio. His execution has been stayed. Thirty-eight-year-old Dawud is convicted of murdering Erica Singleton and Ernie Thomas on December 15, 2011, in Akron, Ohio. Dawud has been on death row in Ohio for the last seven years.
Jan 18, 2021
Miners Trapped in Chinese Gold Mine
At least 12 of the 22 miners are still alive after being trapped for a week in gold mine. The fate of the other 10 men is currently unknown. An explosion blocked the exit to the area where the miners are trapped. Some of the miners are injured, and the others are experiencing hardships. Pray for the trapped miners. Pray for rescue workers.
Jan 14, 2021
Texas Execution of Blaine Milam
Blaine Keith Milam was scheduled to be executed at 6 pm local time, on Thursday, January 21, 2021, at the Walls Unit of the Huntsville State Penitentiary in Huntsville, Texas. Thirty-one-year-old Blaine is convicted of the murder of 13-month old Amora Carson in Rusk County, Texas, in December 2008. Blaine has been on death row in Texas for the past ten years.
Jan 18, 2021
34 Die in Indonesian Earthquake
At least 34 people have died, and over 600 others were injured in a 6.2 magnitude earthquake on Sulawesi Island in Indonesia. The quake has toppled buildings and triggered landslides. Pray for the families of the deceased. Pray for healing for the injured. Pray for the area as it works to rebuild.
Jan 18, 2021
83 Killed in West Darfur, Sudan
At least 83 people have died in clashes between different ethnic groups in West Darfur, Sudan. Fighting began after a man was stabbed to death in El Geneina over the weekend. Pray for the families of the deceased. Pray for peace and healing.
Jan 18, 2021
Fear of Starvation in Ethiopia Tigray
Continued fighting in the Tigray region of Ethiopia as resulted in food shortages. There are between 5 and 7 million people in the region, most of whom are in need of emergency food aid. Pray for the people in region. Pray for wisdom for those seeking to help.
Jan 18, 2021
62 Presumed Dead in Airplane Crash
The search continues for remains of Sriwijaya Air Boeing 737, carrying 62 people onboard. It crashed shortly after take-off. Some human remains have been discovered with several having been identified Pray for the families of the 62 individuals. Pray for the safety of the rescue workers.
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Juan Castillo, Texas
Updated: Wednesday, May 16, 2018 7:55 pm EDT
Texas has carried out the execution of Juan Castillo. Read more about the execution here.
Updated: Monday, May 14, 2018 9:02 pm EDT
The Supreme Court of the United States has rejected a request to halt the execution of Juan Castillo. Juan has also been denied clemency by the Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles. Their vote was 6-0 against granting clemency.
Updated: Monday, May 14, 2018 11:44 am EDT
Juan Edward Castillo's execution is scheduled to occur at 6 pm CDT, on Wednesday, May 16, 2018, at the Walls Unit of the Huntsville State Penitentiary in Huntsville, Texas. Thirty-seven-year-old Juan is convicted of the murder of 19-year-old Tommy Garcia, Jr., on December 3, 2003, in San Antonio, Texas. Juan has spent the last 12 years of his life on Texas’ death row.
Juan had previously worked as a cook and a laborer. He was previously convicted of deadly conduct with a firearm. During the trial, witnesses also testified that Juan was a violent man, threatening and beating the mother of his child. Additionally, he had previously shot a man during a road rage incident, boasted about similar crimes, and bragged about committing home invasions and robberies.
In December 2003, Juan Castillo was dating Debra Espinosa. Late on December 2, and during the early morning hours of December 3, 2003, the couple was with Francisco Gonzales, a friend of Castillo, and Gonzales’ girlfriend Teresa Quintero. The four of them created a plan to rob Tommy Garcia, Jr., with whom Espinosa had previously been intimate.
Espinosa was to take Tommy to secluded spot in a residential neighborhood in San Antonio, Texas. Castillo and Gonzales, in masks and armed with guns, would storm the car and rob Tommy. Espinosa would play along, as if she were a victim too. Quintero would serve as the get away driver from Castillo and Gonzales. During the ensuing robbery, Tommy was shot and killed by Castillo, according to the others.
Gonzales was arrested by the police as he fled from the scene, with Espinosa arrested a short time later. Both agreed to testify against Castillo in exchange for a reduced charge and a sentence of forty years in prison. Gonzales and Espinosa testified that Castillo took the lead in planning the robbery. They also testified that he was the person who shot and killed Tommy.
Some of Gonzales’s family members also testified that they heard Castillo confess to the crime and speak of how he hid the evidence. Two of Tommy’s friends testified that they were with him when he received a phone call to meet up with Espinosa. Shortly thereafter, they received a phone call from a hysterical Espinosa, who said that Tommy had been shot. Castillo had also been seen wearing a distinctive necklace that Tommy had been wearing the night he was killed.
Castillo was convicted. During the punishment phase of the trial, Castillo elected to represent himself, a move that was allowed after the court determined Castillo was making a knowing and voluntary decision. His two appointed attorneys remained as stand-by counsel. Castillo was sentenced to death.
Juan Castillo was previously scheduled to be executed on Thursday, September 7, 2017. His execution was delayed at the request of the Bexar County District Attorney’s Office. They requested that Juan’s execution be rescheduled due to the devastation caused by Hurricane Harvey days before. In their request, the Bexar County District Attorney’s Office noted that several members of Juan’s legal defense lived and worked in the Houston area, which was hit particularly hard by the hurricane, with torrential rain and flooding. The request was granted and the execution rescheduled for December 14, 2017. The December execution was stayed by the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals in order to all time to investigate false testimony. Ultimately, it was ruled that the testimony of the witness who recanted was not pivotal to the case.
Please pray for peace and healing for the family of Tommy Garcia. Pleas pray for strength for the family of Juan. Please pray that Juan is innocent, lacks the competency to be executed, or should not be executed for any other reason, that evidence will be presented prior to his execution. Please pray that Juan may come to find peace through a personal relationship with the Lord, if he has not already.
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Update: Wednesday, June 3, 2015 7:56 pm EDT
Lester Leroy Bower, Jr., has been executed by the state of Texas, at 6:36 pm CDT. Read the full story here.
Update: Wednesday, June 3, 2015 6:18...
Clayton Lockett, Oklahoma
Update: April 24, 2014 7:00 pm EDT
Clayton Darrell Lockett is scheduled to be executed at 6 pm CDT, on Tuesday, April 29, 2014, at the Oklahoma State Penitentiary in McA...
Update: April 3, 2014
Texas has executed Tommy Lynn Sells. Read the story here.
Update: April 2, 2014
The US 5th Circuit Court of Appeals has overturned the ruling of US...
March 20, 2014
Shortly after 6 pm EDT, on March 20, 2014, Robert Laverne Henry was executed by the state of Florida.The execution was carried out at the Florida State Prison near Raiford, Flo...
Update: March 19, 2014
Ray Jasper III was executed shortly after 6 pm CDT, on Thursday, March 19, 2014, at the Walls Unit of the Huntsville State Penitentiary in Huntsville, Texas.Ray was 33 ...
On January 31, 1994, while on California parole for robbery (incarcerated from 1991-1993), Edgar Tamayo shot Houston, Texas, police officer Guy P. Gaddis, three times in the back of the head, mur...
April 16, 2014
Jose Villegas, Jr. has been executed by the state of Texas. Read the story here.
March 16, 2014
Jose Luis Villegas Jr.’s execution is scheduled for 6 pm CST, on April 16, 2014...
January 16, 2013
The execution of Kimberly Lagayle McCarthy is scheduled to occur at 6 pm CST, on January 29, 2013, at the Walls Unit of the Huntsville State Penitentiary in Huntsville, Texas.Fift...
Update: February 23, 2014
The Florida Supreme Court has approved midazolam for use during the execution of Florida death row inmate Paul Howell.Midazolam has been successfully used i...
April 16, 2013
Ronnie Paul Threadgill was executed shortly after 6 pm CST, at the Walls Unit of the Huntsville State Penitentiary in Huntsville, Texas. Forty-year-old Ronnie was convicted of the mur...