Judge Denies Georgia Death Row Inmate’s Request for Execution by Firing Squad, a resident listed in public arrest records, was taken into custody on April 2, 2025, in Featured County, Georgia. According to the official booking report, the arrest was made by local authorities and the subject was charged with the following offense(s): unspecified charges. This incident was officially recorded and made publicly available by law enforcement agencies in the state of Georgia. The details provided reflect the arrest information at the time of booking and do not indicate guilt or conviction. All suspects are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
GWINNETT COUNTY, Ga. – A federal judge has rejected a request from Michael Wade Nance, a Georgia death row inmate, who sought to be executed by firing squad instead of lethal injection, arguing the latter could cause him severe pain.
Nance, 63, was sentenced to death for the 1993 murder of Gabor Balogh, whom he shot while fleeing a Gwinnett County bank robbery. Since his conviction, he has challenged Georgia’s lethal injection protocol, citing medical conditions that he claims would make the procedure inhumane.
On Thursday, U.S. District Judge J.P. Boulee ruled that Nance failed to prove lethal injection would cause unconstitutional suffering. As a result, Boulee did not address whether a firing squad would be a viable alternative.
Nance’s legal team argued that his compromised veins could make it difficult to properly administer pentobarbital, the only execution drug approved in Georgia. They warned that his veins might “blow” during the injection, causing the drug to leak into surrounding tissue and result in extreme pain. Additionally, they claimed his prolonged use of back pain medication could reduce the sedative’s effectiveness.
Boulee, however, pointed to testimony from a state doctor who noted that Nance had undergone three medical procedures requiring IV placement since filing his lawsuit, all without issue. When questioned about the impact of Nance’s medication on the lethal injection, a medical expert testifying for the defense admitted that “no one actually knows” how it would affect the process.
Nance initially sued in January 2020, but Boulee dismissed the case in March of that year, ruling that his claims were procedurally barred and did not establish a constitutional violation. The 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals later determined that because Georgia law only authorizes lethal injection, Nance’s challenge was effectively an attempt to overturn his death sentence.
However, in 2022, the U.S. Supreme Court disagreed. Writing for the majority, Justice Elena Kagan ruled that Nance could propose an alternative execution method not currently authorized by state law, as amending the statute to allow a firing squad would not be a “substantial impediment” to carrying out the sentence.
The case was sent back to Boulee’s court, where a bench trial was held in May 2023. Though testimony suggested a firing squad would result in a quick death, Boulee ultimately ruled against Nance, concluding that he had not met the legal burden to prove lethal injection would cause unconstitutional suffering.
Nance’s attorney, Anna Arceneaux, declined to comment on the ruling but confirmed that an appeal is planned.
As the legal battle continues, Nance remains on death row, awaiting further court proceedings.
Disclaimer: All data provided here is taken from public arrest records. This publication does not imply guilt or final conviction.
More Arrests in Featured on April 2, 2025
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