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Public executions in the US were once a community spectacle. Then they stopped

Editor-in-Chief · Sunday, October 11, 2026 at 12:38 PM · 1 min read

Public executions in the US were once a community spectacle. Then they stopped — KXAN (Austin), Healdsburg Community news — Image: KXAN (Austin)

Allowing the world to watch Fort Hood shooter Nidal Malik Hasan face the firing squad in December would make it the first public execution since two hangings in the 1930s in Kentucky and Missouri drew crowds.

Public executions in the US were once a community spectacle. Then they stopped

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