Capital punishment in Virginia

Capital punishment was abolished in Virginia on March 24, 2021, when Governor Ralph Northam signed a bill into law. The law took effect on July 1, 2021. Virginia is the 23rd state to abolish the death penalty, and the first southern state in United States history to do so.[1][2]

The first execution in what would become the United States was carried out in Jamestown, Virginia, in 1608, when Captain George Kendall was executed in Jamestown for spying. Since then, Virginia has executed more than 1,300 people, the most of any other state.[3] In the modern, post-Gregg era, Virginia conducted 113 executions, the third most in the country, behind only Texas and Oklahoma.[4] The last execution in the state was on July 6, 2017, when William Morva was executed via lethal injection for murder.[5]

  1. ^ Schneider, Gregory S. (March 24, 2021). "Virginia abolishes the death penalty, becoming the first Southern state to ban its use". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on March 24, 2021. Retrieved March 24, 2021.
  2. ^ Kelley, Alexandra (March 24, 2021). "Virginia officially first Southern state to abolish the death penalty". The Hill. Retrieved March 24, 2021.
  3. ^ "Virginia's Execution History". Virginians for Alternatives to the Death Penalty (VADP). Retrieved March 24, 2021.
  4. ^ "Virginia | History of the Death Penalty". Death Penalty Information Center. Retrieved March 24, 2021.
  5. ^ "Virginia may be first in south to abolish death penalty and abandon 'legalized lynching'". The Guardian. February 2, 2021.