Convicted killers who spent half a lifetime awaiting execution on death row

For many inmates on death row, the wait for execution can be agonizingly long, with some spending decades in solitary confinement.

As legal challenges and appeals wind their way through the court system, the years turn into decades, and prisoners are left to languish in a state of perpetual uncertainty.

Here are the nine longest death row stays of all time

Death row stay: 22 years

Walter Moody, a convicted murderer responsible for the 1989  letter bomb murder of Judge Robert S. Vance, was executed on April 19, 2018, at the age of 83, after spending over 22 years on death row in Alabama. Moody’s case received national attention due to the severity of his crimes and the lengthy legal proceedings that followed. After a trial in 1996, Moody was convicted and sentenced to death. However, the case was not yet over.

Moody filed multiple appeals over the years, including a challenge to the use of lethal injection as a method of execution. He also argued that his sentence was unconstitutional due to his advanced age at the time of his execution.

Despite these legal challenges, Moody’s execution was carried out as scheduled in April 2018.

Death row stay: 25 years

Rolando Ruiz, a Texas death row inmate, was executed in 2017, more than 20 years after being convicted of murder-for-hire. In 1992, Ruiz was found guilty of killing Theresa Rodriguez in San Antonio. Ruiz’s case generated considerable controversy as the victim’s brother had hired him to carry out the murder.

Despite his involvement in the crime, Ruiz maintained his innocence and claimed that he was coerced by the victim’s brother into participating in the murder. He argued that his death sentence was disproportionate to his role in the crime and sought clemency.

However, Ruiz’s appeals and pleas for clemency were rejected, and he was executed by lethal injection. His case drew attention to the debate surrounding the death penalty in the United States, with advocates and opponents continuing to raise concerns over its fairness and effectiveness.

Death row stay: 27 years

Viva Leroy Nash was a notorious American criminal who spent 27 years on death row before his death in 2010. He was convicted of multiple murders and other violent crimes, including armed robbery and kidnapping, and was sentenced to death in 1983.

Nash’s case was noteworthy not only for the length of time he spent on death row, but also for his advanced age at the time of his death. Nash was believed to be the oldest inmate on death row in the United States at the time of his passing, having lived to the age of 94.

Death row stay:  33 years

Manuel Valle was a death row inmate in Florida who spent over three decades awaiting his execution before he was put to death by lethal injection in 2011. He had been convicted of the 1978 murder of a police officer in Coral Gables, Florida.

Valle’s case was notable for the numerous legal challenges and appeals filed over the years, with his attorneys arguing that he had been denied a fair trial and citing concerns about the constitutionality of the death penalty. Despite these efforts, Valle’s sentence was upheld, and he remained on death row for over 33 years.

Death row stay: 37 years

Michael Selsor was a death row inmate in Oklahoma who was executed by lethal injection in 2012 for the murder of a convenience store clerk in Tulsa in 1975. Selsor’s case drew attention due to the lengthy appeals process and the fact that he had been on death row for nearly 38 years.

Throughout his time on death row, Selsor filed numerous appeals and legal challenges, including claims of ineffective counsel and newly discovered evidence. Despite these efforts, his death sentence was ultimately upheld and he was executed at the age of 57.

Death row stay: 37 years

Brandon Jones was a Georgia death row inmate who was executed by lethal injection in 2016 for the murder of a convenience store clerk during a robbery in 1979. Jones’ case garnered attention due to the unusual circumstances surrounding his execution.

Jones’ attorneys argued that his execution by lethal injection using a controversial sedative, midazolam, constituted cruel and unusual punishment and violated his constitutional rights. The use of midazolam had been linked to several botched executions in other states, raising concerns about the efficacy and humaneness of the drug.

Death row stay: 39 years

Gary Alvord was a death row inmate in Florida who spent more than 39 years awaiting execution before his death in 2013. Alvord had been convicted of murder in 1974 and sentenced to death, but his case was subject to numerous appeals and legal challenges over the years.

Alvord’s long stay on death row was largely due to his severe mental illness, which made him unfit for execution under Florida law. He suffered from paranoid schizophrenia and was delusional, often hearing voices and seeing imaginary people. Despite his illness, Alvord was kept on death row for decades, sparking criticism and outrage from advocates for mental health and criminal justice reform. Alvord died in 2013 from natural causes, having never been executed.

Death row stay: 38 years

After spending 38 years on death row, Carey Dean Moore was executed by lethal injection in Nebraska in August 2018. Moore had been sentenced to death in 1980 for the murders of two cab drivers, but his case had been subject to numerous legal challenges and appeals.

In 1991, a federal appellate court overturned Moore’s death sentence and ordered a resentencing. However, Moore was again sentenced to death. A federal district court subsequently overturned his death sentence for a second time, a ruling that was affirmed by a panel of the 8th Circuit Court of Appeals.

But in 2003, an en banc review by the entire 8th Circuit overturned the panel decision and reinstated Moore’s death sentence. The Nebraska Supreme Court later stayed Moore’s execution in 2007 due to concerns about the constitutionality of the state’s sole method of execution, electrocution.

Moore’s execution finally took place after Nebraska’s legislative repeal of the death penalty was overturned by a referendum vote.

Death row stay: 39 years

Thomas Knight, a death row inmate in Florida, was executed by lethal injection in January 2014. He had spent nearly 40 years on death row after being convicted and sentenced to death in 1975 for the murder of a Miami couple, Sydney and Lillian Gans, during a botched burglary attempt.  Knight was one of the longest-serving inmates on death row in the United States, and his case had drawn national attention due to the numerous appeals and legal challenges that had delayed his execution for decades.

Over the years, Knight’s case went through multiple appeals and legal challenges, including claims of ineffective assistance of counsel, mental illness, and inadequate representation.