Two inmates, Samuel Lee Smithers in Florida and Lance Shockley in Missouri, were executed an hour apart on Tuesday, marking a record-setting pace for U.S. executions.

Smithers was pronounced dead at 6:15 p.m. ET for a 1996 double murder, becoming Florida’s 14th execution of the year.

Shockley was executed at 7:13 p.m. ET for killing a Missouri state trooper in 2005.

October is on track to become the busiest month for U.S. executions since May 2011, with seven scheduled this month alone, USA Today has reported.

Overall, 2025 has seen a notable rise in executions, with 37 inmates put to death nationwide, the highest total since 2014.