Jamaal Howard Put to Death in Texas for 2000 Store Clerk Murder
Jamaal Howard was executed by lethal injection at the state prison in Huntsville, Texas, becoming the 30th person put to death in the United States in 2026, according to cbsnews.com. Howard, 46, received a fatal dose of pentobarbital and was pronounced dead at 8:03 p.m. local time. He was convicted of the 2000 robbery and fatal shooting of 42-year-old convenience store clerk Vickie Swartout in Silsbee, Texas. The execution was the first in the country since Tennessee’s failed attempt to execute Christa Pike.
Legal Challenges Over Lethal Injection Drugs Fail
Hours before the execution, Howard’s attorneys filed appeals with the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals and the U.S. Supreme Court seeking a stay of execution. The Texas court denied both requests without comment, and the U.S. Supreme Court declined to intervene.
Howard’s lawyers also argued that he was intellectually disabled, pointing to the 2002 Supreme Court ruling that bars executions of intellectually disabled individuals. The state of Texas countered that the defense presented no evidence meeting the requirements for such a claim.
Howard Apologizes to Victim Family Before Execution
Asked by the warden if he had a final statement, Howard apologized to members of the victim’s family who watched through a window. I wish that you accept my apology and I wish for your forgiveness,
Howard said, as reported by clickorlando.com. He also thanked his family and friends before the injection began.
Amanda Hernandez, a spokesperson for the Texas Department of Criminal Justice, noted that Howard remained talkative during the 45-mile drive from death row to the Huntsville Unit, making small talk with officers.
Surveillance Footage of the 2000 Silsbee Robbery
At Howard’s trial, prosecutors presented store surveillance footage showing a 20-year-old Howard shooting Swartout once in the chest during a robbery. Court records show Howard fled with $114 and a carton of cigarettes from the store in Silsbee, located roughly 100 miles northeast of Houston.
Texas and Florida Lead National Execution Totals
With Howard’s execution, Texas has carried out seven executions in 2026, with two more scheduled later in the year, according to cbsnews.com. Florida leads the nation with 16 executions this year. Meanwhile, Tennessee Republican Governor Bill Lee halted the state’s remaining scheduled execution for the year following the complications in Pike’s case.