NC Coalition for Alternatives to the Death Penalty

Happy birthday to our dear friend, Henry McCollum! Henry survived 30+ years wrongfully convicted on NC's death row before his exoneration in 2014. His courage and strength inspire us daily. Pic 1: Henry & Brenda H. in 2025 Pic 2: Henry & his team moments after his exoneration

Statement on the Execution of Michael King STARKE, Fla. — Tonight, on the Feast of St. Patrick, during the Lenten Season, We the People of the State of Florida, executed devout Catholic Michael King. Michael was executed tonight for the 2008 murder of Denise Amber Lee, a devoted wife, loving mother, and valued member of her community. Her death devastated her family, shocked communities across the country, and also exposed serious failures in the emergency response system that allowed for five people, including Denise herself, to call 911 before help was coordinated and emergency vehicles were dispatched. We grieve for Denise and for everyone whose lives were forever changed by her death. In the years since, Denise’s family has worked tirelessly to improve 911 training and accountability so that those failures are never repeated. That work, and her legacy, is where real justice lives. Instead, the State of Florida chose more violence as its version of “justice.” Michael’s single, albeit devastating, act of violence must be considered in the context of a traumatic and life-altering traumatic brain injury he experienced at six years old. His 11 year old brother was driving a snowmobile, pulling young Michael, who was in a sled, downhill behind him. They lost control. Michael slammed into a wooden pole head-on, and was immediately knocked unconscious. His brother carried his limp body as Michael bled from his head, nose and mouth. His teeth were broken and loose, his face mangled. He sustained damage to his developing frontal lobe, the part of the brain responsible for decision making and impulse control. After the accident, Michael suffered chronic nosebleeds, fell behind in school, repeated grades, and suffered from hallucinations — seeing and hearing things that weren’t there. He believed people were out to get him and developed severe phobias. Michael’s family watched for decades as the boy they loved changed. They lost the child they once knew. When he was arrested, convicted, and condemned to die, they lost him again. Michael has transformed while on death row. As many people with brain damage find, the predictability and structure of prison was helpful. Those who knew and loved Michael described him as sincere, devout, and steady in his Catholic faith. Faith that helped him regulate his life in ways that had never been possible after his childhood brain injury. He prayed with others and offered comfort to the other men facing the same isolation and despair that defines death row. Michael’s time on death row demonstrates something the death penalty fails to reckon with: the human capacity for change and redemption. That people are defined by more than their single aberrant act. Further, in a cruel twist of irony, Michael was born with double pneumonia, struggling to breathe. Tonight, Florida executed him using a lethal injection protocol that autopsy records show causes flash pulmonary edema — a death that mirrors drowning. Worse, because Florida uses a paralytic, his struggles to breathe would have been completely masked. Michael asked for basic transparency about how the State planned to carry out his execution, The State refused. Incredibly the State did not dispute Michael’s claims that the heavily redacted drug logs do in fact demonstrate the State has used expired drugs and given inadequate doses. Instead, State officials give the repeated and robotic assertion that they are presumed to follow their protocol. 32 executions in, it is long past time to test that presumption with transparency. What a different story this could have been, had this tragedy ended decades ago with a life without parole sentence. Denise Lee’s family could have continued the incredible work to honor her memory by fighting for reform to keep others safe. Importantly, they could have done so without the painful reminder of the single worst day in their lives as this case wound through the court system towards Michael’s eventual execution. Society would have remained safe, and Floridians would not have to question whether their government was torturing its citizens and calling it punishment. Instead, tonight, a new family grieves. A mother lost her son, siblings lost their brother, and a child lost their father. More violence and loss is never real justice. fadp.org/statement-on-t…

63 years ago today, Gideon v. Wainwright established the right to counsel for those charged with a crime Public defenders are vital to ensuring that people have representation in the legal system. Unfortunately, all too often, public defense systems are underfunded & overworked.

Florida has executed #MichaelKing. He was the 7th person executed in the US and the 4th person killed by Florida in 2026.

Join us in Durham for a screening of Racist Roots, a film uncovering the entanglement between white supremacy, racial terror lynching, and NC's death penalty. Hear from Ed Chapman, an NC death row exoneree. 🕖 Mon, 4/6, 7-8:30 PM 📍 Duke East Campus 🔗 bit.ly/DukeRR2026

@ByingtonK Absolutely, as do we.

I remember and mourn HIS VICTIMS 🙏

Texas has executed #CedricRicks. He was the 6th person executed in the US and the 2nd person killed by Texas in 2026. Rest in peace, Cedric. We remember your life and mourn your execution.

Thanks to all who raised their voices for Sonny – and for justice – over the past many weeks. This is what people power looks like!

Gov. Ivey of Alabama has COMMUTED Sonny Burton's death sentence just 2 days before he was due to be executed by nitrogen gas. Our hearts are with Sonny, his loved ones, and his legal team today as they process this news. al.com/news/2026/03/i…

Join us for a National Prayer Call for Sonny Burton: tinyurl.com/e4xdkh5d

This week, Alabama plans to execute Sonny Burton, a man who never killed anyone. It's not too late to act. Add your name to this petition and ask @GovernorKayIvey to grant clemency now. actionnetwork.org/petitions/gov-…

Say NO to the death penalty! Join the weekly vigil at Central Prison. Starting this Monday, March 9, the vigil will take place outside Central Prison from 5-6 PM. You're invited! No RSVP necessary. Learn more: nccadp.org/series/weekly-…

⚪️ Are you a corrections professional? ⚪️ Did you work in SC or do you now live in SC? ⚪️ Do you oppose the death penalty? If your answers are yes across the board, please consider signing @SCADeathPenalty's letter to Gov. McMaster.

He Didn’t Kill Anyone. Alabama Is About to Execute Him Anyway. #SaveSonny nytimes.com/2026/03/05/opi…

Florida has executed #BillyKearse. He was the 5th person executed in the US and the 3rd person killed by Florida in 2026. Rest in peace, Billy. We remember your life and mourn your execution.

Remember, when prosecutors seek the death penalty, it's always a choice. There's nothing inevitable about it. As you head to the polls tomorrow, consider where your local DA candidates stand on capital punishment.

On Tuesday, March 3rd, primary elections will decide District Attorney candidates in all but 4 of NC's 43 prosecutorial districts. NC's DAs have prosecutorial discretion. That means they get to decide when – or if – to pursue the death penalty.

@GovernorKayIvey can still stop the execution of Sonny Burton. Sonny did not kill. Sonny did not intend to kill. Sonny did not order the killing. Yet he remains condemned while the triggerman was allowed to live. Email Gov. Ivey: bit.ly/save-sonny #JusticeForSonny

Florida has executed #MelvinTrotter – even amidst the state's repeated failures to follow its lethal injection protocol. He was the 4th person executed in the US and the 2nd person killed by FL in 2026. Rest in peace, Melvin. We remember your life and mourn your execution.

March 2 is the final vigil during winter hours (4-5 PM). Starting March 9, vigils will run every Monday from 5-6 PM.

Take a stand against state violence and join the weekly vigil at Central Prison! Every Monday, community members gather outside Central Prison in Raleigh in peaceful opposition to the death penalty. Learn more: nccadp.org/series/weekly-…