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In a significant development, the state of Florida has carried out the most executions in 2023, with a total of nine. This marks the highest number of executions in the US since 2015, when 28 executions were recorded.
The executions this year have been carried out using three methods: lethal injection, firing squad, and a relatively new method, nitrogen hypoxia. However, the use of nitrogen gas as a means of capital punishment has been denounced by United Nations experts as cruel and inhumane.
Edward Zakrzewski, a former US Air Force sergeant, was one of the individuals executed this year. On August 1, 2023, Zakrzewski was put to death by lethal injection at the Florida State Prison in Raiford. His execution followed the denial of his appeal by the US Supreme Court on Wednesday.
Zakrzewski pleaded guilty to the gruesome murders of his wife Sylvia, son Edward (7), and daughter Anna (5) in June 1994. The family was brutally attacked. Sylvia was beaten with a crowbar, strangled with a rope, and struck with a machete. The two children were hacked to death with the same weapon.
After the murders, Zakrzewski fled to Hawaii and changed his name. He was eventually identified and turned himself in four months later, following his appearance on a television show called "Unsolved Mysteries."
The trend of capital punishment in the United States shows an increase, reaching a 10-year high of 26 executions as of 2025. Lethal injection remains the predominant method used for carrying out death sentences. However, there have been ongoing challenges related to the drugs used in lethal injections, leading some states to explore alternative methods.
While lethal injection is still the most common execution method, a few states have authorized or reinstated other methods such as the electric chair, firing squad, and nitrogen hypoxia, mainly as backups if lethal injection drugs are unavailable or deemed unconstitutional. The increased use of other methods remains limited compared to lethal injection.
Three US states - California, Oregon, and Pennsylvania - have moratoriums in place on the death penalty. Meanwhile, the death penalty has been abolished in 23 US states.
President Donald Trump, a proponent of capital punishment, called for its expansion on his first day in office. Despite this, the method of lethal injection continues to dominate, amid ongoing legal and ethical debates concerning its application and drug availability.
In his final words, Edward Zakrzewski expressed gratitude for the execution process in Florida. The case serves as a stark reminder of the consequences of violent crimes and the ongoing debate surrounding capital punishment in the United States.
- The ongoing debate surrounding capital punishment in the United States has been fueled by the increase in executions, reaching a 10-year high of 26 in 2025, amid legal and ethical concerns about the methods used.
- The use of nitrogen hypoxia as a means of capital punishment has been denounced by United Nations experts as cruel and inhumane, despite its use in some executions, such as the one carried out on Edward Zakrzewski in 2023.
- Politics and crime-and-justice issues have been at the forefront of general news and war-and-conflicts have taken a back seat, as the trend of capital punishment in the United States has been a significant development in domestic and international news.
