Michael Taylor
Alabama executed Michael Taylor, 54, by lethal injection on November 5, 2026, at Holman Correctional Facility in Atmore, and he was pronounced dead at 6:10 p.m. local time, according to the state. His spiritual adviser prayed with him, and he mouthed thank you to his attorneys, who said in a statement that his life showed God isn't finished with any of us. His federal defenders described a man who was bright and funny, loved trivia and sports, and after years of struggle found a deep faith. The state switched his execution method after a judge ruled a nitrogen gas method unconstitutional, and his attorneys objected; Governor Kay Ivey declined to commute his sentence, and death penalty opponents had asked her to reduce it to life in prison, arguing he was too young and immature at the time to fully understand the consequences of his actions.
Cause of death, as reported: Executed by the state. His attorneys objected to the state's switch from nitrogen gas to lethal injection, and death penalty opponents asked Gov. Kay Ivey to commute his sentence, arguing he was too young and immature at the time.
Reported by: Alabama Department of Corrections (the agency that held him); Governor's Office news release; media witnesses.
Custody: Serving a sentence.
Sources (6)
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- Indiana, Florida and Alabama carry out rare US triple execution day
- Alabama executes Michael Shannon Taylor for the 1991 murder of a couple in Gadsden
- Alabama executes man for 1991 double murder in last of 3 executions carried out the same day in US