Texas set to execute Jamaal Howard for 2000 fatal shooting

PBS NewsHour · Kim Chandler; David Fischer; Associated Press · 2026-10-07 16:52 UTC

Howard's attorneys have argued that he is intellectually disabled and his execution should be halted. The state said that he has not presented evidence that would show he meets the requirements for a claim of intellectual disability.

DALLAS (AP) — A Texas man who fatally shot a convenience store clerk is set to die by lethal injection on Wednesday in what would be the nation's 30th execution this year.

Jamaal Howard, 46, was found guilty of capital murder in the 2000 killing of Vickie Swartout, 42, who was shot once in the chest. He is set to receive a lethal dose of pentobarbital in the first scheduled execution in the U.S. since Tennessee's failed attempt at putting Christa Pike to death last week.

Pike's attorneys said Tuesday that she was awake and speaking as she received treatment at a hospital.

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