Christopher Sepulvado was convicted in Louisiana for the 1993 killing his 6-year-old stepson. He is scheduled for a nitrogen gas suffocation execution on March 17, 2025 in Louisiana.

The State of Louisiana has not had an execution in 15 years. Its scheduling of an execution at this time makes the state an outlier in its use of the death penalty while the majority of other states are on a downward trend away from executions.

Mr. Sepulvado is a frail, wheelchair-bound 81-year-old man with many debilitating illnesses. He’s had chronic health issues for years, but has experienced a sharp decline in health in the past two weeks, prompting concern from medical professionals. He has repeatedly fallen both in the shower and in his cell, resulting in head trauma and confusion. Following a recent fall, Mr. Sepulvado was hospitalized and medical staff have initiated the process of obtaining palliative care. Louisiana has decided to pursue the execution of an already dying man.

Please sign the petition asking Governor Jeff Landry to do everything within his power to stop this execution, including issuing a stay, and seeking a path to clemency in the case.

BACKGROUND

The following additional information is adapted from a statement from his attorney:

Mr. Sepulvado’s myriad health issues are great cause for concern given Louisiana’s methods of execution. He suffers from a complete occlusion of the right internal carotid artery, an artery that brings oxygen to his brain. He also has stage 4 chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease with extensive coronary calcification, hypertension, hyperlipidemia, asthma, prediabetes, degeneration of his spine and shoulders, and cellulitis. Mr. Sepulvado’s failing circulatory system has resulted in gangrene of his toes, leaving his attorneys concerned with the efficacy of lethal injection, which requires a toxic solution to flow throughout the bloodstream. On top of that, medical staff had a difficult time finding a vein for bloodwork during his most recent hospital visit. This struggle may complicate and delay the use of lethal injection to execute Mr. Sepulvado. Finally, it is unknown how his cardiovascular and pulmonary ailments might complicate the unstudied execution method of nitrogen hypoxia.

Mr. Sepulvado has been on Louisiana’s death row for more than 30 years. He is a model inmate known for his deep Christian faith, service to others, and warm, healing spirit. Despite his fragile medical condition, Mr. Sepulvado engages in prayer, fellowship, and scriptural examination with visiting ministers and pursues Biblical studies through a correspondence course. His years of prayer, study, and fellowship have enabled Chris to undergo a genuine transformation, and this five-foot octogenarian is no longer the paranoid, angry person addicted to alcohol who arrived on death row decades ago. He is immensely remorseful for his participation in the events that resulted in the death of his stepson. The catalyst for Mr. Sepulvado’s growth, atonement, and rehabilitation has been his Christian faith, which he embodies for the benefit of other men in Angola.

More information about Christopher Sepulvado’s case can be found in his 2023 clemency petition, available here.