Tonight, Wednesday, September 16, 2026, Texas is set to carry out its first execution in four months. LeJames Norman is scheduled to be put to death for his role in killing Sam Roberts, Tiffani Peacock, and Celso Lopez during a botched robbery in 2005 in Edna, Jackson County, Texas. He was 19 years old at the time.
Earlier this week, the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals dismissed Norman’s habeas application and denied his motion for a stay of execution. Norman had raised substantial claims of prosecutorial misconduct that undermined the reliability of the punishment phase proceedings at his trial in 2008.
In his habeas application, he argued that the State misled the jury about his role in the offense, his acceptance of responsibility, and his remorse for the harm he caused. Norman also claimed that the State interfered with, and forced the withdrawal of, a crucial defense expert witness who would have provided critical mitigating evidence, in violation of the Eighth and Fourteenth Amendments to the United States Constitution.
In a Suggestion for Reconsideration, which the court also dismissed, Norman asked the judges to reconsider their denial of a claim presented in his first state habeas application that the State relied on false testimony by notorious prison expert A.P. Merillat at Norman’s trial, in violation of his due process rights.
Norman has asked the Supreme Court of the United States to stay the execution and consider his petition that his death sentence was obtained through false evidence and arguments presented by prosecutors.
One week from today, on September 23, 2026, Texas is set to execute a second man for his role in the murders of Sam Roberts, Tiffani Peacock, and Celso Lopez. Ker’Sean Ramey was 20 years old at the time and has spent nearly half his life on death row. His trial was marred by serious constitutional violations that led to his conviction and death sentence.
In Georgia, Stacey Humphreys also faces execution this evening, even though the jury originally voted 11-1 to spare his life. Late Tuesday evening, a judge issued a stay but noted it could be lifted if an appellate court ruled on his request for a hearing.
Tomorrow, September 17, Alabama is scheduled to execute Jeffery Lee. Lee faced execution by nitrogen gas earlier this year, but federal courts blocked Alabama’s protocol. His jury voted 7-5 for life without parole, but the trial judge set aside the jury’s recommendation and sentenced Lee to death. In 2017, the Alabama Legislature outlawed judicial override in capital cases, but the law is not retroactive.