Texas Executed Its 600th Inmate This Month, Far Outpacing Any Other State

I am so sorry for what happened. Miss Crane was a lovely woman. I never meant anything bad to happen to her. I’ll take the blame if it will help.

Edward Busby, the 600th Person Executed In Texas

On May 14, 2026, the State of Texas executed Edward Busby for the 2004 murder of an elderly woman. According to court documents, "Busby and an accomplice abducted and robbed Ms. Crane. Id. Busby tightly wrapped more than twenty feet of duct tape around Ms. Crane’s entire face, causing her to suffocate."

Read More: The Gripping Story Behind Lubbock's Notorious Suitcase Murders

In Texas, a murder case is eligible for the death penalty if it is legally considered a capital crime. One of those conditions is that the murder takes place during another serious felony, like kidnapping.

Busby's legal team attempted to get him a stay of execution based on his intellectual disabilities; however, the courts didn't buy it.

Texas Has A Grim Lead In Executions

Busby's execution marked the 600th person executed in Texas, according to the Texas Tribune, which also states that Florida takes 2nd place at... 131.

Texas death penalty cases have slowed down (they are incredibly expensive to conduct, and every one of them is granted an automatic appeal), and fewer people are executed each year than the peak in the early 2000s. However, if everyone scheduled to be executed this year is put to death, Texas will have a total of 8 executions (there have been 4 so far), which would be the most in a year in the 2020s so far.

Read More: Execution Of Cedrick Ricks In Texas For Double Murder

Will The Death Penalty Go Extinct In Texas?

It is more difficult than ever to secure a death penalty conviction, thanks to new laws that give prosecutors and juries more options and require fairer practices in the courtroom. In 2005, a law was passed that allowed prosecutors to seek life without the possibility of parole in capital cases, and for juries to hand down that punishment. Other laws required prosecutors to present evidence favorable to the accused and prohibited seeking the death penalty for intellectually disabled defendants.

While I do not believe that the death penalty will ever go away completely in Texas, I do believe it will get rarer and rarer, reserved only for the most heinous crimes. But of course, there will be some years with an uptick at Huntsville, and 2026 appears to be one of them.