Georgia Puts Execution ON HOLD,  While Florida Plans To Execute Record 19th Inmate

Summary

Podcast Summary:

Amy Robach & T.J. Holmes Present
Episode Title: Georgia Puts Execution ON HOLD, While Florida Plans To Execute Record 19th Inmate
Date: December 16, 2025
Hosts: Amy Robach & T.J. Holmes (iHeartPodcasts)

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Overview

This episode dives into two key events in the U.S. death penalty landscape as the year draws to a close: the last-minute suspension of a scheduled execution in Georgia and Florida's plan to carry out its record-setting 19th execution of the year. Amy and TJ examine the legal complications, moral questions, and broader national trends related to capital punishment, including the paradoxical rise in executions amid declining public support.

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Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. Georgia Execution Suspended—The Case of Stacy Humphries

• Background: Stacy Humphries, 52, was convicted of a double murder in 2003 involving two young real estate agents, Lori Brown (21) and Cindy Williams (33), in Georgia.
• Details of Crime:
  • Humphries tied up, tortured, and killed the victims after forcing them to reveal their ATM PIN numbers. Money was subsequently taken from their accounts ([07:07]).
  • He admitted guilt, stating he needed the stolen money to pay off high-interest car loans ([07:57]).
• Legal Developments:
  • Despite repeated court rejections of appeals, a Georgia parole board issued a sudden order suspending Humphries’ execution, originally scheduled for December 17 ([05:24]).
  • Reason for Delay:
    • Two of the five parole board members recused themselves due to conflicts of interest—one was a victim's advocate with personal ties to the case, the other an acting sheriff in a related county ([11:10]).
    • With only three members remaining, Humphries’ legal team argued he is entitled to a full five-member board for a fair clemency hearing. State officials contend the law permits decisions by three ([09:40]).
    • The death warrant remains valid until noon on Christmas Eve ([06:03]).
  • Macabre Timing: The delay means the state is racing against a deadline—humorously, but grimly summarized as "We got to kill this guy before Santa comes" ([09:40], [11:51]).
• Hosts' Reflections:
  • Amy Robach: “This is state-sanctioned killing that we're doing here...Something about that just feels icky as hell.” ([12:19])
  • TJ Holmes: “It is almost certainly going to happen...This is not a question of guilt or innocence.” ([08:54])
  • General consensus: This appears to be a bureaucratic delay, not a move towards sparing Humphries’ life.

2. The Ritual of Last Meals

• Humphries’ Request: His last meal was extraordinarily large and became a headline: barbecue beef brisket, pork ribs, bacon double cheeseburger, fries, coleslaw, cornbread, buffalo wings, meat lover’s pizza, vanilla ice cream, and two lemon-lime sodas ([14:52]).
  • “I've never seen anything like that...He is not going out with a steak tartare. Why the hell not go crazy in that last moment?” — Amy Robach ([15:22])
  • Noted that Georgia appeared ready to honor the request, unlike Texas, which strictly limits or has eliminated the traditional last meal due to abuses ([16:32]).
  • Discussion: They speculate about the purpose of the ritual—possibly to ease the guilt of those carrying out executions or rooted in historical fears of being haunted by the executed ([22:59]).

3. Florida Sets Execution Record

• Upcoming Execution: Florida is scheduled to execute Frank Walls, putting the state at 19 executions for the year—40% of the national total ([23:59]).
  • Walls was 19 at the time of the murders and is argued by his lawyers to be intellectually disabled (IQ around 72-74), yet remains on schedule for execution ([24:52]).
• Record Pace: This marks the highest number of executions Florida has carried out in one year ([23:59]).

4. Death Penalty Trends & Public Sentiment

• Annual Report Highlights (Death Penalty Information Center):
  • 48 executions expected in 2025, up from 25 the year before ([26:01]).
  • Public support for the death penalty is at a 50-year low—52% support, 44% oppose ([26:31]).
    • “That’s the highest number [opposed] we have seen in some 50 years in this country.” — Amy Robach ([26:31])
  • The Supreme Court did not stay any executions in 2025; in two cases where executions were paused, state governors intervened, not the Court ([25:25]).
  • Only 22 new death sentences issued this year, with juries choosing life over death 56% of the time ([27:21]).
  • 10 out of the 48 people executed this year were military veterans (about 20%)—a disproportionate figure that prompts concern over the treatment and mental health of veterans in the justice system ([27:57], [28:50]):
    • “That is disturbing to think, but that's a disproportionate number...” — Amy Robach ([28:53])

5. Moral and Procedural Reflections

• Amy and TJ repeatedly stress the moral weight and fallibility of capital punishment systems:
  • “When it comes to killing somebody state sanctioned...we gotta get it right. 100, we have to be 100% correct.” — Amy Robach ([29:34])
  • Discussion on giving victims’ families a meaningful role in the process, noting that some have advocated for sparing inmates’ lives ([29:49]).
  • “We should be able to talk about these stories. You should know how it happens. You should know what happens. You should know who we're killing and why we're killing them. It's all a part of at least bolstering what you already believe or questioning what you think you know.” — TJ Holmes ([31:16])

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Notable Quotes & Moments (with Timestamps)

• “The numbers of executions [are] at the highest we've seen in a while.” — Amy Robach ([02:56])
• “Why are people on death row for up to four decades? Let's get some closure and some justice for these families.” — TJ Holmes ([03:31])
• “[The clemency hearing] is on hold...We gotta kill this guy before Santa comes...” — Amy Robach ([09:40])
• “This is state-sanctioned killing that we're doing here...Something about that just feels icky as hell.” — Amy Robach ([12:19])
• “This is about a parole board...his lawyer's team claim [two members] have a conflict of interest...” — TJ Holmes ([08:54])
• “That's a disproportionate number [of veterans on death row].” — Amy Robach ([28:53])
• “This is not a question of guilt or innocence. It's not a question as to whether or not he received a fair trial.” — TJ Holmes ([08:54])
• “It is a macabre deadline this time of year, certainly to even consider.” — TJ Holmes ([10:36])
• “Younger people are more against it...somebody gets off death row, they're innocent, those things stick.” — Amy Robach ([26:37])
• “Both of the victims' families were very much in favor of the person convicted of killing their loved one to not die.” — TJ Holmes ([29:49])
• “You should know who we're killing and why we're killing them...” — TJ Holmes ([31:16])

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Important Timestamps

• 02:56: Introduction, overview of current execution climate
• 04:51: Case specifics on Stacy Humphries
• 06:03–06:49: Details on legal process and clemency hearing in Georgia
• 07:07–08:28: Details of Humphries' crime and confession
• 09:40–11:10: Parole board recusals, legal wrangling
• 14:52: Discussion of Humphries’ unprecedented last meal request
• 16:32: State differences in last meal policies (Georgia vs Texas)
• 23:59: Florida execution of Frank Walls, record total
• 25:25–26:01: Supreme Court's stance and jump in executions
• 26:31: Polling data on public opinion
• 27:57–28:53: Military veterans and death row
• 29:49–31:26: Victims’ families’ perspectives; importance of transparency

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Final Thoughts

Amy and TJ offer a candid, empathetic look at the complexities of the U.S. death penalty system: its bureaucracies, its rituals, its human costs, and the shifting public and judicial sentiment surrounding it. The episode is balanced—acknowledging the severity of crimes and victims’ pain, but stressing the crucial importance of correctness and humanity in the ultimate decision to take a life.

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For more detail, listeners are encouraged to consult resources like the Death Penalty Information Center.

Transcript

[Sophie Cunningham]

This is an I Heart Podcast.

[TJ Holmes]

Guaranteed Human.

[Sophie Cunningham]

This is Sophie Cunningham from Show Me Something. Do you know the symptoms of moderate to severe obstructive sleep apnea, or OSA in adults with obesity? They may be happening to you without you knowing. If anyone has ever said you snored loudly, or if you spend your days fighting off excessive tiredness, irritability and concentration issues, it may be due to osa. OSA is a serious condition where your airway partially or completely collapses during sleep, which may cause breathing interruptions and oxygen deprivation. Learn more at don'tsleep on OSA.com this information is provided by Lilly, a medicine company.

[Kal Penn]

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[Ed Helms]

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[TJ Holmes]

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[Amy Robach]

Hey there folks. It is Tuesday, December 16th. And an execution that was scheduled for tomorrow night has been halted with just hours to spare. You could argue, but this doesn't mean that this death row inmate's life is about to be spared. With that, welcome to this episode of Amy and TJ and Robes. This is happening. A lot is happening with executions this year. Just as now we're getting a new report that shows support for the death penalty is at the lowest level we've seen in 50 years. But the numbers of executions at the highest numbers we've seen in a while.

[TJ Holmes]

That is a strange. How do you make that work shift there? Because it's interesting. You've got a state like Florida and Governor DeSantis trying to say, hey, if we are legalizing executions and we've sent people to death, why are people on death row for up to four decades? Let's get some closure and some justice for these families. And so he's pushing a lot of executions forward. Number 19 is scheduled for later this week. But yeah, there's been a lot of news, a lot of headlines and a lot of questioning not just to the legality but to the morality of what we do here in this country.

[Amy Robach]

And look, that debate will of course continue. The other part of that's come up in a handful of cases literally is about guilt or innocence.

[TJ Holmes]

Correct.

[Amy Robach]

That we're close to possibly condemning someone and putting someone to death. It's something that we can't take back with some questions about their guilt or innocence. Now, this week we were supposed to see rope. Yes, Christmas is next week, but we were wrapping up the year here in this country by getting two more executions on the books. That would have been the 47th and 48th, if I have that correct. I say would have been because right now we one has been halted and this was one robes we were keeping an eye on in Georgia that there were some questions. They were trying to get it stopped. But now another reason has popped up. But we'll tell you who we're talking about.

[TJ Holmes]

First of all, yes, we're talking about 52 year old Stacy Humphries. He was convicted in a double murder back in 2003. And yes, we've seen his attorneys over the last couple of weeks, which is very oftentimes the case trying lots of different reasons or ways to try and get this executed, execution stayed. And he had a clemency hearing actually scheduled for today. So his lawyers have been working diligently around the clock trying to get some movement or at least trying to stop the execution. And turns out something worked, at least temporarily.

[Amy Robach]

So, well, the courts had been turning them down left and right. They were making all kinds of arguments about the execution. And every judge, every court has said, no, no, no, no, no. Now something else has happened because there was an order issued yesterday on Monday. Again, this is Monday, which would have been two days before the planned execution. This parole board issued a. An order suspending, I think that's the word they use, suspending his execution scheduled for tomorrow night. They did this robes and didn't really give any clarity. They didn't explain why. But they said his execution is now on hold.

[TJ Holmes]

Correct. And his clemency hearing, which was scheduled for today, has been postponed until Friday, further notice. So they have not said when they're going to reschedule that. And it would appear as though you would need to have a clemency hearing. And this was scheduled the day before his scheduled execution. So if they can't put together the clemency hearing, it makes a lot of sense why they had to postpone his actual execution. Now, here's the deal. They do have a death warrant, I believe, that was signed December 3rd. It was deci. It was signed a couple weeks ago, and it's valid through noon on Christmas Eve. So they have until then, literally, to figure out what they're doing with this clemency hearing, which would then clear the way for the execution.

[Amy Robach]

Okay, well, if you just stop there for a second, he. He's going to make it to 2026. Who's. Who's working on Christmas week trying to kill a guy.

[TJ Holmes]

And there's a lot of confusion as to what they have to get in place in order to make this clemency hearing fair.

[Amy Robach]

And the guy we're talking about here, this is some pretty heinous stuff. Malice murder is what they called it down in Georgia. Malice murder is what he was convicted of in 2003. Killed two women, young women. Lori Brown, who's 21. Cindy Williams, 33. Look, if you don't. Down in those areas, you know, model homes, a lot of subdivisions pop up and they put. It's usually kind of not a lot of traffic, to be honest, in those neighborhoods. But there's a couple people, a couple of real estate agents, they were stationed in a model home trying to sell this neighborhood. He comes in, ties them up, forces them to strip naked, essentially tortures them so that they will give their pin numbers to their atm. And sure enough, later, thousands of dollars are taken out of their accounts. But he killed these women, shot these two women that was the scene. So he is convicted of some pretty horrific stuff. There's not questions at least in this about guilt or innocence.

[TJ Holmes]

No. I believe he even admitted to police early on that he was responsible and gave an explanation that he needed that. I think he ended up getting $3,000 and he needed that money because he had taken out some high interest loans in a new vehicle. And so just the callousness that he would just disregard two young women's lives. Cindy Williams, 33 Lori Brown 21 because he needed some cash to pay off some loans that he had taken on irresponsibly. That's about as disgusting as it gets.

[Amy Robach]

So a lot of routes they tried at least his legal team in the courts failed, failed, failed every time along the way. But this is why now it appears he had a shot to survive. I guess robes just pass tomorrow because the reasons now it's been halted don't necessarily point to his innocence or a court action. This seems robes. It seems to me just a delay. Is that fair to say this is just a delay?

[TJ Holmes]

It seems as though this is inevitable. It is almost certainly going to happen because yes, it's not a question of guilt or innocence. It's not a question as to whether or not he received fair trial. It's not a question about anything that typically we would see an edu an execution stayed for and a life in prison sentence imposed in lieu of an execution. That is not this case. This is about a parole board which comprise is comprised of five members. And he would need three of those board members to say and to vote for clemency for him to have a shot at not being executed on Wednesday, which was when he was originally scheduled for. But now two of those members they claim his lawyer's team claim have a conflict of interest in making their decision.

[Amy Robach]

So yes, if two of the five need to recuse themselves then there's only three people left on the board to vote. His attorneys arguing he has the right to a full five members and that is why we have a delay. They're trying to figure out how much time do we get to possibly get two more in there. There are folks from the state who are arguing there's nothing that says he is legally has the right to five people. Three can vote. So that is the hold up. But it does appear at least right now Rope is going to. He is going to live to. I don't know, to fight another day. But he is going to get to live another day because it is the understanding he is going to get A clemency hearing. When can you put this together quickly enough? Judge say quickly enough. Now, just the three is fine. And then where's everybody going for Christmas? What's. What's happening? And clock is ticking. We got to kill this guy before Santa comes is what we're up against in Georgia.

[TJ Holmes]

It's a macabre deadline this time of year, certainly to even consider. But, yes, I mean, it looked as though. I mean, it was curious to me that the parole board decided to go ahead, maybe just out of an abundance of caution, to just go ahead and. And say, let's just put this on pause, because it does seem as though the three members would be enough, according to state law, for. To get a fair shake at clemency, to have those three members say yes or no.

[Amy Robach]

Would you want the five, though, if you were like, of course you would.

[TJ Holmes]

Of course you would. Yes.

[Amy Robach]

And maybe you take inventory. Maybe the two that got dumped off weren't even fans of yours in the first place.

[TJ Holmes]

The interesting thing is the. The one of the. Of the board members actually recused herself. She recognized that there could be an appearance of impropriety, even though she said, I would be able to make this. She was a victim's advocate at the same time surrounding his case. So she had personal ties to the case. The other member was, I believe, the acting sheriff in the county where his trial was moved to. And so he's saying, look, if he oversaw protecting the jurors and protecting people who were a part of the trial, that maybe he would have an unfair view of this man and what he did because he was connected to the case on a level where he was dealing with jurors and potentially victims, et cetera.

[Amy Robach]

Look, when we've said plenty of times here, if. If this is a matter of killing someone, why not take your time in the final days and weeks to get it right? And. And so if they're getting it right, that's fine. But it is fascinating, Robes, to imagine that they are up against the clock in Georgia. If we want to kill this guy, we need to do it before everybody goes to sleep on Christmas Eve. Like the death was noon. Right. On Christmas Eve is when it expires.

[TJ Holmes]

That's just.

[Amy Robach]

So he is waiting to. If he makes it to Christmas Eve at noon, he'll survive to the. That is macabre. That is just. Look, the crime is horrific. This is not what we're doing. But we are. This is state sanctioned killing that we're doing here. And so it just. Something about that just Feels icky as hell.

[TJ Holmes]

Yes. And look, he's. I know this sounds crazy, but he's been on death row at least. These crime. This crime happened 22 years ago compared to some of the time. We've seen plenty of inmates this year who ended up being executed on death row. We're talking three decades, even four decades in some cases.

[Amy Robach]

I remember 37 years on one. Do you remember one worse there was.

[TJ Holmes]

In 40 something years, I believe at one of them this year. So, yes, it was, it was the one where the father of the child who was killed actually perished. Three judges perished. Like everyone involved in the trial had died and he was waiting. It was 40 something years. So, yes, 22 years old. What's another month or two to make sure that this is done correctly?

[Amy Robach]

All right, well, he was one. You and I had planned. We were going to do a preview of this execution, look, because of a lot of the legal things that had come up, but also it is always a public fascination with the final meal. And it's bizarre to a certain degree, but it's also understandable. It's human nature. It's something we can't relate to. We don't know what that's like. And it's kind of related in, kind of steeped in religion as well. A last meal, a final supper kind of a thing. And some argue it's just something we use to make the public feel better about what we're about to do.

[TJ Holmes]

I was just going to say it. Does it relieve some guilt that we give these, the worst of the worst, these notorious killers who've been convicted of the most heinous crimes, that somehow we give them one last little bit of pleasure before we kill them, that somehow that makes us feel better about what we're doing? I don't know. But yeah, we were going to do an entire podcast on last meals because this particular inmate, Stacey Humphries, was making headlines for what he was requesting and what it seemed as though the Department of Corrections in Georgia was going to give him.

[Amy Robach]

Have you seen one more, a bigger one or more fascinating one than this one we've seen a lot over the years, not just this year, but I don't, I can't remember one quite like this.

[TJ Holmes]

This was the most jaw dropping last meal request I have seen and one that it seemed as though the state was going to honor just because of its size. It was, I guess, gluttonous is how a lot of people would have put it.

[Amy Robach]

And obese is how he's described.

[TJ Holmes]

He's a large man, six two, over £300 or so. So but his even still, his last meal request was a lot. So here's what actually Georgia put out as his last meal. Barbecue beef brisket, pork ribs, bacon double cheeseburger, french fries, coleslaw, cornbread, buffalo wings, meat lovers pan pizza, vanilla ice cream and two lemon lime sodas. Have you ever seen anything like that?

[Amy Robach]

Oh, and haven't seen anyone. I mean, good for him. He's not going out with a steak tartare. I mean, why the hell, I mean, go crazy in that last moment. It's almost like he's trying to eat himself to death before the execution. But that's incredible. If they, they put it out there, maybe they will. And some will argue. Why are we giving anybody any comfort in the last second given what they have done? I don't know. Maybe because we are supposed to be better than they are. Maybe because we're supposed to be a little decent, a little human. I don't know what Georgia's rules are, but rules I didn't realize. States vary on how much they will let them get away with, but generally it seems like they like to make these requests happen. I don't know Georgia's limit on the cost. Florida has a $40 one. I think a couple other states have a 15 or $25 one, but I don't know if it's unlimited.

[TJ Holmes]

I think we, we need to do a podcast on this because, I mean, I don't know why it's fascinating, but it is to see what we're willing to spend, what length we're willing to go to. Do we order out from restaurants? Does it have to be made within a prison kitchen? As you point out, different states have different rules and this one is exceptional.

[Amy Robach]

And of course in the middle of this, Texas, obviously on last meals, they have by far executed more people than any other state since the death penalty was reinstated in 1976. They stopped this robes legislation. Some state senator got pissed because a death row inmate ordered some big extravagant meal and didn't eat it. So it was a waste. Came back, they have passed legislation. You do not not get a last meal in Texas.

[TJ Holmes]

I get that though.

[Amy Robach]

It's cafeteria food. Is that same standard thing some people do will say that makes sense. Some people hear that. I didn't know about this. Like, oh well, yeah, look, if you're.

[TJ Holmes]

Going to stand by your death penalty and stand by the executions of convicted killers, then I understand with that same reasoning in mind, why would you give them some sort of Pleasure before you kill them. Did they afford that to their victims? I'm sure that's not the case. But I was going to ask, could any human being eat all of that food? First of all, I wouldn't even have an appetite if I were about to be executed.

[Amy Robach]

That's why they said the guy in Texas didn't eat.

[TJ Holmes]

Yeah, because I get that when I'm stressed or upset or nervous or anxious, I cannot eat.

[Amy Robach]

One more note there. Some states have gone to giving the meal a day or two ahead of time, not on the day, because obviously they wouldn't have an appetite.

[TJ Holmes]

Yeah, that seems remarkable. And yes, all of this food, I could have been starved in the desert for two weeks and I couldn't finish half of that. So that's. That seems excessive. And that's why. I'm just curious why Georgia put that out there and said, here's what he's asking for. And they didn't say they weren't going to give it to him. I just thought that was. Maybe they were testing to see what public reaction would be like, I don't know. But it was baffling.

[Amy Robach]

All right, well, folks, stay with us here because as we wrap up this year, one of the primary resources, a great resource for all the information having to do with executions here in the United States. They have put out their annual report, and it's pretty shocking to see how the numbers of executions have gone up so much, but the number of people supporting the death penalty has gone down. Stay here.

[Kal Penn]

So let me get this straight. Your company has data here, there, and everywhere, but your AI can't use the data because it's here, there, and everywhere? Seems like something's missing. Every business has unique data. IBM helps your AI access your data wherever it lives. To change how you do business. Let's create smarter business. IBM.

[Sophie Cunningham]

This is Sophie Cunningham from Show Me Something. Do you know the symptoms of moderate to severe obstructive sleep apnea, or OSA in adults with obesity? They may be happening to you without you knowing. If anyone has ever said you snored loudly, or if you spend your days fighting off excessive tiredness, irritability, and concentration issues, it may be due to osa. OSA is a serious condition where your airway partially or completely collapses during sleep, which may cause breathing interruptions and oxygen deprivation. Learn more at don'tsleep on OSA.com this information is provided by Lilly, A medicine company.

[Ed Helms]

Hey, everyone.

[Kal Penn]

Ed Helms here, and hi, I'm Kal Penn and we're the hosts of Irsay The Audible and iHeart Audiobook Club.

[Ed Helms]

This week on the podcast, I am sitting down with Jenny Garth, host of the iHeart podcast. I choose me to discuss the new Audible adaptation of the timeless Jane Austen classic Pride and Prejudice. This is not a trick question. There's no wrong answer. What role would I play?

[TJ Holmes]

You know what? I can see you as Mr. Darcy. You got a little Colin Firth.

[Ed Helms]

Okay, that's really sweet. I appreciate that. But are you sure I'm not the dad? I'm not Mr. Bennet. Here, listen to Earsay the Audible and iHeart Audiobook Club on the iHeartradio app or wherever you get your podcasts.

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[TJ Holmes]

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[Amy Robach]

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[TJ Holmes]

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[Amy Robach]

All right, we continue here on Amy and TJ talking about the execution in Georgia that has now been postponed as they're trying to, I guess, dot some eyes and cross some t's and make sure they're doing everything wrong. A postponed clemency hearing there in Georgia. We will wait to see what happens. We were just talking. I forgot about this robes. We're talking about last meal requests and this guy in Georgia had a buffet that he ordered. Part where we were talking where this history with the ritual come from. It's based somewhere in 19th century, somewhere in Europe where they would do this to people who were condemned because they thought they were appeasing their spirits and they wouldn't come back and haunt them. Essentially.

[TJ Holmes]

You know what that makes the most sense out of anything? Guilt. So like either it's guilt, we feel bad, what we're about to do to you, so let's just give you this meal or hey, let me make sure I don't get cursed because. Or haunted later because I just killed you. This is for me that makes way more sense. It's about. Yes, the person trying to feel better about what they're about to do, including the entire state.

[Amy Robach]

Yes, we did mention it's supposed to be 48 scheduled death penalty executions this year. Tomorrow would have been 47 with the guy in Georgia. That one's postponed. So now the next one would be Thursday. Florida, no kidding, would be doing the last one of the year if that one goes through. So we would end up with. That would be the 47th then. But, but robes for Florida makes sense, doesn't it? They've had their record year. They're going to wrap it up for the country and they'll be the last execution of the year, blowing away their previous record.

[TJ Holmes]

Yes, this is. And by the way, Florida, you have this stat in here with 19 executions this year. Again, if Thursday's execution takes place, that's 40% of the national total this year. That is remarkable. And by the way, it looks as though this Thursday execution is going to go forward with Frank Walls. He's 58 years old. The Florida Suprem court just refused his last appeal for his execution to be staged. But he did have a couple good points. He was 19 at the time of the murders and his, his lawyers have argued that he's intellectually disabled. He's one of those ones where his IQ was 72, 74. And we know right now the Supreme Court had ruled 70 was where you can be considered intellectually disabled enough to not be eligible for execution. So he's right on the margins there. But, but so far it looks as though that execution is going to go forward.

[Amy Robach]

And I will pick up on that point you just made as we're going to share some, some info, some headlines from the annual report from the Death Penalty Information Center. If you don't know them, if you want to know anything about executions in this country, again, it's called Death Penalty Information center and it is incredible source of information. Just a database of upcoming executions Past executions, every state, all the history, even all of the inmates. It really is a good resource. But they put out there annual report robes. And I'll start with what you were just saying about the Supreme Court. Didn't realize they did not stay a single execution this year.

[TJ Holmes]

A conservative leaning Supreme Court.

[Kal Penn]

Not one.

[TJ Holmes]

I guess that shouldn't be shocking.

[Amy Robach]

Not one. I don't know what the history was previous years, but you got 48. They didn't listen to a one of them. And didn't we have several where we heard dissenting voices were on the Supreme Court which right to step in right?

[TJ Holmes]

Yes, correct. The liberal leaning justices a couple of times wrote some scathing dissents basically to say that they disagreed with going forward with the execution. And the two that we did see stayed those executions that we covered were governors intervening, the state intervening, certainly not the Supreme Court of the United States.

[Amy Robach]

That was one of the headlines from their annual report. Also just the note here, 25 executions last year, we already mentioned 48 were expected here in this year. That's a huge jump. And here is the thing. Where are we on public support for the death of penalty? They're telling us now that support for the death penalties at 52%, those who now in this country say they are opposed are at 44% in robes. They say that's the highest number we have seen in some 50 years in this country.

[TJ Holmes]

Wow. And do they give a reason behind it? Just maybe there's more public information on.

[Amy Robach]

Over time sentiment over time, people, younger people are more against it. Also you get more and more of these high profile cases. It goes everywhere on social media. Somebody gets off death row, they're innocent, those things stick.

[TJ Holmes]

Look, and I think that that is a huge part of it. People want to generally support the idea, but when they start hearing the details, when they start looking into the cases, with the availability of media and information on these murderers from state to state, you really can get into these stories and really start questioning whether or not they deserve to die, whether or not they're actually guilty of the crimes. When people start looking at cases and seeing how our justice system operates, they see the unfairness of it in a lot of cases. So that's, that's very telling.

[Amy Robach]

And this report said that maybe juries are starting to pick up on that. They say we saw a decline this year, only 22 death sentences in the country. I say only, but that is a decline also. They say 56% of juries that had the choice of choosing life or the death penalty chose Life. So the majority of the cases that means in which a jury had to decide the death penalty, the majority of them chose to give life. And the last one here I mentioned to you before we came on that, just disturbing, chilling, just kind of said, damn. The number of military vets executed.

[TJ Holmes]

10 military veterans executed this year. I remembered as some of the cases we covered looking to see that they were military trained, that they had fought in wars. Many of them obviously came back from those wars suffering. And that has been a huge cry from so many folks who say, hey, we do not take care of our vets mentally. We don't consider what they've been through, we don't consider what they've lost in defending our country, in serving our country, and we don't take care of their mental needs when they come back.

[Amy Robach]

That was a high historical number. I can't remember the. I can't put it in the right context, but this was a high number historically based on previous years. And really that is, that's, that, that's a disproportionate representation of death row inmates. 10 out of the 48 or that's.

[TJ Holmes]

Somebody terrible with math. But what is that percentage? It's high.

[Amy Robach]

That's 20%.

[TJ Holmes]

That's, that's incredibly high.

[Amy Robach]

Somebody needs to look into that. I hope they are working on studying that. That is disturbing to think, but that's a disproportionate number. Folks, we look, we always appreciate you. This was something I guess robes. We didn't intend to at the beginning of the year, but we kind of fell into as more and more cases came up and more and more executions were planned and more and more, frankly questions came up about a lot of them. This is something we kind of been diving into this year and followed a bunch of executions. And crazy as it sounds, there was some relief. The young man, that is his sentence was commuted to life. It seemed like the right thing. You remember the one with his brother was on.

[TJ Holmes]

Yes, yes, yes, yes.

[Amy Robach]

For that crime. It's not like we're rooting for one way or another kind of a thing and there are victims involved in all these. But man, when it comes to killing somebody state sanctioned and we're supposed to all be on board with this thing, it just we got to get it right. 100, we have to be 100% correct.

[TJ Holmes]

And we've said this in both of the cases where the executions were stayed, both of the victims families were very much in favor of the person convicted of killing their loved one to not die. That There was value in their life. That there was value in them being able to either be a cautionary tale for others or at least helping other inmates who are going to go off and live better lives. That there was value in them living versus seeing them die. And so we've said that seems to be something that should be considered in every case. Let the victim's family have a say in what happens.

[Amy Robach]

What was the sad one? Now I can't remember. I think it was Florida where the guy was desperate to meet.

[TJ Holmes]

He murdered his mother.

[Amy Robach]

Yeah.

[TJ Holmes]

In that gas station robbery. And he ended up through letters because he wasn't allowed to meet him. For all the reasons why they keep safety protocols in place where victims, family members cannot meet someone on death row who's convicted of killing their loved one. That makes sense. But he actually developed a relationship with this man, this inmate, before he died and was begging the governor not or at least to stay his execution. But it didn't happen. That was one of the sadder stories that we told. But certainly I do believe, and I know you do, too, that this is something that our country has legalized. This is still something that the majority of Americans support. We should be able to talk about these stories. You should know how it happens. You should know what happens. You should know who we're killing and why we're killing them. It's all a part of at least bolstering what you already believe or questioning what you think you know. Those are both very important things to do.

[Amy Robach]

All right, folks, we will continue to keep an eye on and update you about what happens in Florida on Thursday as well. And again, as a reminder, top right corner of your Apple podcast app, on our show page, that button says follow Click that you can subscribe and then get our updates. And there are a plenty, it seems, these days. But for right now, on behalf of Amy Robach, I'm T.J. holmes. Talk to you all soon.

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