A total of 103 executions have been recorded in New Mexico: four during the Spanish Colonial era (1598–1821), none during the Mexican era (1821–1846), 51 during the Territorial era (1846–1913), 20 by the U.S. Military during the Taos Rebellion (1847), 27 between 1913 and 1960, when the death penalty was removed except for the murder of a police officer, and one since 1976, when the death penalty was reinstated; it remained until March 18, 2009, when Governor Bill Richardson signed a bill abolishing capital punishment into law after many struggles with the issues in previous weeks. [1] Following this repeal, Bernalillo County Sheriff Darren White began a campaign to reinstate the practice by referendum.
Ninety-four of the executions were by hanging, seven by electrocution, one by the lethal gas, and one by lethal injection. Two of the hanged, "Black Jack" Ketchum in 1901 and Lucius Hightower in 1916, were accidentally decapitated by the noose due to their weight. The death sentences of five convicts were commuted by Governor Toney Anaya in 1986, on the eve of Thanksgiving.
The following is a list of the 28 executions carried out by the state of New Mexico since 1912.
| # | Executed person | Date of execution | Method | Murder victim | Under Governor |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ivory Frazer | April 25, 1913, 4:52 AM | Hanging | A deputy sheriff (name unknown), Al Smithers | William C. McDonald |
| 2 | Francisco Granado | April 25, 1913, 4:52 AM | William S. Clark | ||
| 3 | Demecio Delgadillo | May 16, 1913, 5:09 AM | Soledad Zarrazino de Pino | ||
| 4 | Francisco Alvarez | June 9, 1916 | 24 people in the raid led by Pancho Villa on Columbus, New Mexico | ||
| 5 | Juan Sanchez | June 9, 1916 | |||
| 6 | Taurino Garcia | June 30, 1916 | |||
| 7 | Eusiero Renteria | June 30, 1916 | |||
| 8 | Juan Castillo | June 30, 1916 | |||
| 9 | Jose Rangel | June 30, 1916 | |||
| 10 | Lucius Hightower | November 13, 1916 | Mrs. Hightower | ||
| 11 | Julian Romero | April 11, 1918 | Maria Varela de Jaure | Washington E. Lindsey | |
| 12 | Elbert Blancett | July 20, 1920 | Clyde D. Amour | Octaviano Larrazolo | |
| 13 | Eleuterio Corral | January 20, 1922 | Ventura Bencomo | Merritt C. Mechem | |
| 14 | Rumaldo Losano | January 20, 1922 | Ventura Bencomo | ||
| 15 | Luis Medrano | July 28, 1922 | Anton Coury | ||
| 16 | Ysidero Miranda | July 28, 1922 | |||
| 17 | Carlos Renteria | July 28, 1922 | |||
| 18 | Steve Katonka | October 20, 1922 | William Kelly, Sam Groy | ||
| 19 | Francisco Vaisa | April 6, 1923, 5:30 AM | Anton Coury | James F. Hinkle | |
| 20 | Thomas Johnson | July 21, 1933, 12:38 AM | Electrocution | Angelina Jaramillo | Arthur Seligman |
| 21 | Santiago Garduno | July 21, 1933, 1:12 AM | Filemon Martinez | ||
| 22 | Pedro Talamante | May 10, 1946, 12:10 AM | Mrs. Talamante | John J. Dempsey | |
| 23 | Louis Young | June 13, 1947, 12:07 AM | Eloise Kennedy | Thomas J. Mabry | |
| 24 | Arthur Fay Johnson | February 19, 1954, 12:09 AM | William Cabrel | Edwin L. Mechem | |
| 25 | Frederick W. Heisler | October 29, 1954, 12:15 AM | John Gunnish | ||
| 26 | James Larry Upton | February 12, 1956, 12:09 AM | Donald Dilley | John F. Simms | |
| 27 | David Cooper Nelson | August 11, 1960, 12:20 AM | Lethal gas | Ralph Henderson Rainey | John Burroughs |
| 28 | Terry D. Clark | November 6, 2001, 7:10 PM | Lethal injection | Dena Lynn Gore | Gary Johnson |