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Florida executes Conahan Jr. after Supreme Court stay bid

By Drooid · Sep 11, 2026, 1:50 PM UTC · How we work

Summary

Conahan Seeks Stay

Attorneys filed a Supreme Court petition seeking a stay of Conahan’s execution.
The petition cites Conahan’s request for DNA testing of evidence collected since March 2025.
Florida’s post-conviction court denied his DNA-testing motion within 24 hours of the death-warrant signing.
The filing stresses Conahan seeks only a stay for judicial review, not an innocence declaration.
Prosecutors said Conahan remains a suspect in five 1990s homicides, though no charges have been filed.

Summary

Conahan Executed

Daniel Owen Conahan Jr. was executed by lethal injection on Sept. 10, 2026.
He had been convicted of kidnapping and strangling 21-year-old Richard Montgomery in 1996.
Governor Ron DeSantis signed the death warrant on Aug. 11, making it Florida’s 15th execution of 2026.
Florida’s execution tally now exceeds half of the 24 U.S. executions recorded in 2026.
Conahan maintained his innocence and faced no other murder charges.

Summary

DeSantis Leverages Executions

Florida accounts for 60% of U.S. death-penalty killings in 2026.
Since 2025, Florida performed 34 of 72 U.S. executions, a 47% share.
Governor Ron DeSantis is criticized for using executions as political leverage before the 2028 presidential race.
Floridians for Alternatives to the Death Penalty claim DeSantis treats executions as routine power tools.
September 2026 is projected as the busiest U.S. execution month since 2010, with eight scheduled.

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Conahan Seeks Stay

Attorneys filed a Supreme Court petition seeking a stay of Conahan’s execution.
The petition cites Conahan’s request for DNA testing of evidence collected since March 2025.
Florida’s post-conviction court denied his DNA-testing motion within 24 hours of the death-warrant signing.
The filing stresses Conahan seeks only a stay for judicial review, not an innocence declaration.
Prosecutors said Conahan remains a suspect in five 1990s homicides, though no charges have been filed.

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