Arizona
Death Penalty Facts

Number of People on Death Row: 111
Number of Women: 3
Number of Men: 108

Average Time Served on Death Row: 18 years

Longest Time Served on Death Row: 40 years

Number of Exonerations from Death Row (Arizona since 1975): 11

Barry Lee Jones, aged 64, was released from Arizona's death row on June 15, 2023. His convictions and death sentence in the 1994 death of a 4-year-old were overturned, and he pleaded guilty to a lesser murder charge after a deal was reached between his defense team and prosecutors. A medical reexamination of the case did not support the finding that Jones caused the girl's injury.

Debra Milke, aged 51 at the time, spent 23 years on Arizona's death row for the murder of her 4-year-old son in 1989. She was accused of arranging for two male friends to kill her son to collect an insurance payout. In March 2015, the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals threw her conviction and death sentence out due to the original prosecutor's failure to disclose evidence that could have aided Milke's defense. A court decision in her favor resulted in her release.

Robert Charles Cruz, aged 48 at the time, was acquitted in 2005 after spending over 14 years in prison. He was initially convicted of murder and other charges in the 1980 contract killing of a Phoenix print-shop owner and his mother-in-law. Cruz maintained his innocence, claiming he was framed. After being tried five times, with two ending in mistrials and two resulting in overturned convictions, he was ultimately acquitted due to concerns about witness credibility.

Lemuel Prion, aged 41 at the time, was sentenced to death in 1999 for the 1992 murder of a 19-year-old woman in Tucson. His conviction was overturned in 2002 by the Supreme Court, stating that the trial judge erred in not allowing Prion's lawyer to introduce evidence suggesting another person may have committed the murder.

Ray Krone, aged 45 at the time, spent 10 years in prison, including time on death row, for the 1991 rape and murder of a Phoenix bartender. He was convicted based on bite-mark testimony, which was later called into question. In 2002, DNA testing excluded Krone and implicated another suspect, leading to the dismissal of charges against him.

Andre Minnitt and Christopher McCrimmon were convicted in the 1992 killings of three individuals in Tucson. Their initial convictions were overturned due to juror pressure and the lack of credibility of witnesses. In 1997, Minnitt was retried, resulting in a mistrial, while McCrimmon was acquitted. Eventually, a 2002 Arizona Supreme Court ruling found that Minnitt's retrial violated principles of double jeopardy.

David Wayne Grannis, aged 38 at the time, was convicted alongside another individual for the 1989 murder of an investment broker. His conviction was overturned due to the introduction of prejudiced evidence, leading to his release.

James Robison, aged 70 at the time, spent two years on death row for the 1976 car-bomb murder of an Arizona Republic reporter. His conviction was overturned by the Arizona Supreme Court, and he was later acquitted in a retrial due to insufficient evidence.

Jimmy Lee Mathers was initially convicted in the shotgun slaying of a couple in Yuma in 1987. His acquittal came after the Arizona Supreme Court ruled in favor of lack of evidence.

Joe Morales and Ruben Melendez were convicted of murder in 1976, but Morales was exonerated in 1978 due to a judge's error in cross examination. Morales was retried and sentenced to life, but his conviction was later overturned due to withheld evidence. He was finally acquitted in his third trial.

Jonathan Charles Treadaway Jr. was initially convicted and sentenced to death for the 1974 killing of a 6-year-old child. The Arizona Supreme Court overturned his conviction, and he was released after a second trial in 1978. DNA evidence linked him to the crime years later, but Treadaway died before final tests could be conducted.

Death Row Population Sentenced in Maricopa County: 73%

Counties without Prisoners on Death Row: Apache, Cochise, Gila, Graham, Greenlee, Navajo, Santa Cruz

Counties Sending Prisoners to Death Row since 2010: Maricopa, Pima, Yuma

Pima County's Last Death Sentence: 2012

Yuma County's Last Death Sentence: 2017

Maricopa County's Last Death Sentence: 2024

Prisoners Sentenced to Death Row since 2010:

Pima County: 3
Yuma County: 1
Maricopa County: 24
Pinal: 1

Original Execution Protocol: Hanging
Change in Protocol (1930): Lethal Gas Chambers
Change in Protocol (1992): Lethal Injection (default procedure)
Option for Prisoners Sentenced before 11/23/1992: Lethal Gas

Current Death Penalty Protocol:

Method: Lethal InjectionProtocol: One-drug ProtocolApproved Drugs: Pentobarbital or Sodium Pentothal

Execution Resources:

Purchase of Pentobarbital (2021): $1.5 million from Anonymous Source

Purchase of Hydrogen Cyanide Gas Compounds (March 2021): Over $2,000

Arizona Department of Corrections : Department Order 710 - Execution Procedures Manual

In a 2015 audit in Maricopa County, the results showed the significant differences in defense costs between capital and non-capital cases.

Defense costs per case:

Non-capital first-degree murder: $27,191

Capital case resulting in a plea agreement: $213,337

Capital case resulting in a life sentence: $580,255

Capital case resulting in a death sentence: $1,066,187

Death Row Annual Housing Costs

Death row prisoners often require specialized housing and higher levels of supervision, leading to elevated incarceration costs.

In 2020, the average cost to house a man on death row cost approximately $30,729.35 for the year. 

The total cost to house a woman on death row in 2020 was approximately $27,834.90.


To house the entire population of death row prisoners for the year the cost was approximately $3,371,545.15


The numbers are based on the population of death row in 2020, which was 116, 3 women and 113 men.


It costs approximately $2,894.45 more to keep a man on death row than it does for women

Estimates based on ADCRR FY 2020 Operating Per Capita Cost Report


Additional Costs

Mitigation specialists, fact investigators, and experts are essential for investigations into the defendant's background, mental health, and other mitigating factors. Prosecution costs, Higher cost of incarcerating death row prisoners compared to life-sentenced individuals. Costs incurred by the federal government during habeas corpus proceedings, Execution-related expenses, such as the purchase of execution drugs, Increased Costs in Capital Cases

Appellate lawyers also conduct reinvestigations to ensure effective representation.

Cost disparities exist even if a capital case results in a plea agreement or life sentence, as pre-trial preparations contribute significantly to expenses.

Contrary to popular belief, the most expensive part of a death penalty case is the trial itself, not the subsequent state court appeals.