Idaho prosecutors have moved to seek the death penalty against Andrea Shaw, 23, who is charged with murder over the 2025 deaths of her twin toddlers. Shaw has pleaded not guilty and says the twins fell ill and died after receiving vaccinations. Prosecutors allege an autopsy showed symptoms consistent with smothering. Shaw's lawyer, Joseph Filicetti, called the move outrageous and said the defence will seek to dismiss the case. A trial has been set for January.
A magistrate in Brisbane has refused bail to Awlad Hossain, a 50-year-old welder from Ipswich accused of trying to bribe officials investigating the death of his wife in Bangladesh. Prosecutors allege he sent more than $96,000 to stop police linking him and his family to her death. Hossain's lawyer argued he was unlikely to flee because he could face execution in Bangladesh and extradition is unlikely. The magistrate said no conditions could reduce the risk of him fleeing or offending. Hossain will now seek bail in Queensland's Supreme Court.
British influencer Brooke George, 23, has been charged with murdering her boyfriend, William Treeby, 26, in the United Arab Emirates. If convicted, she faces execution by firing squad under UAE law. Advocacy group Detained in Dubai claims she acted in self-defence after Mr Treeby allegedly attacked her with a kitchen knife nearby. She is being held in the Bur Dubai detention centre, and her next hearing is set for October 28. Her mother has raised concerns about her wellbeing, and the UK Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office says it is supporting the family.
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Australia's online safety regulator, eSafety, says it does not have powers to proactively prevent a public US execution from being livestreamed in Australia. Communications Minister Anika Wells told Labor MPs there was no legislative basis to block it. US Secretary of War Pete Hegseth has said former US Army officer Nidal Hasan will face a firing squad on December 3, and that the execution should be public. President Donald Trump has not fully committed to broadcasting it but has backed the idea.
Australia's online safety regulator, eSafety, says it does not have the powers to proactively prevent a live stream of a US firing squad execution from being shown in Australia. It says online platforms have a responsibility to protect users from harmful material. US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth has said the execution of Nidal Malik Hasan, convicted of killing 13 people at a Texas military base in 2009, would be available to watch. The federal government says Australians rightly expect not to see the footage and that platforms must meet that expectation.
Australian man Simon Peter Carman, 45, has pleaded guilty to concealing the body of 17-year-old Tunchanok Donhomla in Thailand but maintains he is innocent of murder. Police allege he killed her in June, hid her body in a suitcase and dumped it beside railway tracks near Pattaya. In court, Carman claimed the teen held a knife to his neck and that he only squeezed her jaw. Donhomla's family said they were grateful he denied murder and want him to face the harshest punishment. The trial is expected to run for several months.
A failed lethal injection in Tennessee and a proposed livestreamed firing squad execution in a federal case have renewed scrutiny of American capital punishment. Queensland abolished the death penalty in 1922, and Western Australia was the last Australian state to do so, in 1984. The United States remains one of few democracies still executing prisoners, with 27 states retaining the penalty. Since 1977, lethal injection has become the dominant method, though it has repeatedly proved prone to botched procedures. Supporters claim executions deter murder, but the author argues there is little evidence for that claim.
Greens senator Sarah Hanson-Young has asked the eSafety commissioner and communications minister to stop any livestream of a US military firing squad execution. She wants social media platforms fined if they fail to block it. The US government plans to execute Nidal Malik Hasan on 3 December, with the execution to be public and available online. Opposition treasury spokesperson Tim Wilson warned that blocking the footage could amount to a censorship ban on the internet. Amnesty International Australia called on the government to oppose both the execution and its broadcast.
Amnesty International Australia has called on the Albanese government to formally protest the planned public execution of Nidal Hasan in the United States on December 3. US War Secretary Pete Hegseth said the former army officer, who fatally shot 13 unarmed soldiers in 2009, would face a firing squad and be broadcast publicly. President Donald Trump said he backed the idea. The Greens want federal authorities to stop the execution being broadcast in Australia, with Senator Sarah Hanson-Young urging warnings and large fines for streaming platforms. Crossbencher Ralph Babet said he would share footage of the execution.
Greens senator Sarah Hanson-Young says the government should block the broadcast or live stream of a US military execution, calling it barbaric. Nationals MP Barnaby Joyce agreed, comparing it to a Roman amphitheatre and saying it should not be watched. The government was less clear on whether the stream should be banned. In Parliament, small business minister Anne Aly was questioned by the Coalition about when she learned the ATO would ban credit card payments. Aly said she found out at the same time as the public.
The US defence department plans to livestream the first military firing squad execution since 1945. Nidal Hasan is due to be shot on 3 December at Fort Hood, Texas, where he killed 13 people in 2009. Defence secretary Pete Hegseth said the public would be able to watch. Vice president JD Vance said he would not watch if it is streamed. Critics, including Republican and Democrat senators and the UN human rights chief, condemned the plan. Hasan was sentenced to death by a military jury in 2013.
Tennessee officials botched the execution of death row inmate Christa Pike, who survived two doses of lethal injection drug pentobarbital. Days later, the US military announced it would carry out a firing squad execution, to be live streamed, of Nidal Malik Hasan, convicted of killing 13 people in 2009. Polling shows US support for the death penalty has fallen to a five-decade low of 52 per cent. Amnesty International said the shift was deeply disturbing and reflected an authoritarian approach to punishment.
US Vice-President JD Vance has cast doubt on whether the Pentagon will live stream the execution of Nidal Hasan, a former US Army psychiatrist convicted of the 2009 Fort Hood shooting. A White House official said President Donald Trump does not oppose the idea, but his position is not yet final. The execution is scheduled for December 3 and would be the first by firing squad carried out by the US military since World War II. The United Nations has called the idea abhorrent, and Amnesty International Australia has urged the Albanese government to raise its concerns with Washington.
Christa Pike, who was convicted of murdering a classmate in 1996, received two doses of pentobarbital at a Tennessee execution on September 30. She was rushed to hospital and is believed to be the only person on record to survive the drug. Her lawyers say she is awake but faces a long recovery, with a blood clot, pneumonia and swelling in both arms. Experts have speculated the drug may have entered tissue rather than a vein, which a federal review said could cause severe pain. The state has not confirmed whether it will try to execute her again.
A botched execution of Christa Pike in Tennessee has raised concerns about the use of lethal injections. Pike regained consciousness a week after the procedure, with her legal team alleging multiple syringe failures and severe injuries. Experts warn that lethal injections are often portrayed as humane but can be error-prone and painful. Tennessee has not ruled out a second execution attempt, despite a high botch rate in 2022.
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A Texas death row inmate, Jamaal Howard, has been executed just days after a botched lethal injection in Tennessee left another inmate critically ill. Howard, 46, was put to death for the 2000 murder of convenience store worker Vickie Swartout. Before his execution, he apologised to Swartout’s family. Meanwhile, Christa Pike, who survived two lethal injections in Tennessee, has regained consciousness but remains seriously unwell. Tennessee has suspended all executions for the year while authorities investigate Pike’s case and another failed execution.
