The Death Penalty in Kentucky

How Kentucky law treats death penalty, from the state code and official state agencies.

Short answer: Kentucky has the death penalty. Murder is a capital offense, and a person convicted of a capital offense may be sentenced to death, life without parole, life without parole for 25 years, life, or 20 to 50 years; KRS 507.020(2), 532.030(1), (4), 532.025, 431.220, 532.029(2)(b)

Death penalty	Kentucky has the death penalty. Murder is a capital offense, and a person convicted of a capital offense may be sentenced to death, life without parole, life without parole for 25 years, life, or 20 to 50 years; the jury must find at least one statutory aggravating circumstance to recommend death. By statute, executions are by lethal injection; people sentenced to death before March 31, 1998, may choose electrocution instead. Kentucky's persistent violent felony offender law (2024) also allows death or life without parole for a third violent felony that is a capital offense. Method: https://apps.legislature.ky.gov/law/statutes/statute.aspx?id=18610 ; murder: KRS 507.020 ; aggravators: KRS 532.025 ; persistent violent felony offender: https://apps.legislature.ky.gov/law/statutes/statute.aspx?id=55435 . No official page stating an execution moratorium was looked for. Source: KRS 507.020(2), 532.030(1), (4), 532.025, 431.220, 532.029(2)(b)

Death penalty

Kentucky has the death penalty. Murder is a capital offense, and a person convicted of a capital offense may be sentenced to death, life without parole, life without parole for 25 years, life, or 20 to 50 years; the jury must find at least one statutory aggravating circumstance to recommend death. By statute, executions are by lethal injection; people sentenced to death before March 31, 1998, may choose electrocution instead. Kentucky's persistent violent felony offender law (2024) also allows death or life without parole for a third violent felony that is a capital offense.

Method: https://apps.legislature.ky.gov/law/statutes/statute.aspx?id=18610 ; murder: KRS 507.020 ; aggravators: KRS 532.025 ; persistent violent felony offender: https://apps.legislature.ky.gov/law/statutes/statute.aspx?id=55435 . No official page stating an execution moratorium was looked for.

Source: KRS 507.020(2), 532.030(1), (4), 532.025, 431.220, 532.029(2)(b)

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FAQ

Does Kentucky have the death penalty?

General legal information, not legal advice. Laws change and local rules can differ; check the linked official source or talk to a lawyer about your situation.