STARKE, FL — Florida carried out its 15th execution of 2026 on Thursday evening, a pace that keeps the state far ahead of every other in the nation this year. Daniel Owen Conahan Jr., 72, was put to death by lethal injection at Florida State Prison after his conviction in the 1996 kidnapping and killing of Richard Allen Montgomery.
Conahan was also widely known as the “Hog Trail Killer.” His execution adds to a year in which Florida has used capital punishment more than any other state in the United States. Montgomery’s body was found in a wooded area in southwest Florida that was later linked to other deaths as well.
Conahan’s conviction stemmed from the 1996 death of Richard Allen Montgomery
Conahan was convicted for his role in Montgomery’s death nearly three decades ago. Authorities said the case involved kidnapping and strangulation. The killing became one of the most closely associated cases in a series of deaths that drew attention in southwest Florida during the 1990s.
Montgomery’s body was discovered in a wooded area where six other bodies were also found. That grim detail helped make the case especially well known in Florida criminal history. The nickname attached to Conahan followed from those crimes and remained part of public coverage of the case for years.
Florida State Prison carried out the lethal injection Thursday evening
The execution took place at Florida State Prison in Starke, where the state carries out capital punishment. Conahan was 72 years old at the time of his death. Florida officials used lethal injection for the execution, which was completed Thursday evening.
The state’s use of the death penalty has drawn national attention because of how frequently it has been carried out in 2026. By Thursday, Florida had already put 14 other people to death this year. Conahan’s execution pushed that total to 15, putting the state well ahead of other states in overall executions.
Florida’s 2026 execution pace leads the nation by a wide margin
Florida’s total stands out because no other state has matched that number of executions this year. The 15th execution makes 2026 a particularly active year for the state’s death row system. The pace has made Florida the clear national leader in executions, far surpassing every other state.
The state’s unusual position reflects a pattern of repeated execution dates throughout the year. Conahan’s death came as part of that broader timeline, adding another case to a list that has grown steadily across 2026. The national comparison is a major part of why this execution drew notice beyond Florida.
The southwest Florida death scene was linked to six other bodies
Montgomery’s body was found in a wooded area in southwest Florida where investigators also found six other bodies. That location became central to the wider investigation surrounding the deaths associated with the area. The discovery helped shape the public identity of the case and the nickname later tied to Conahan.
Conahan was considered a person of interest in the other deaths connected to that area, but he was never charged in those cases. His execution Thursday was based on the conviction involving Montgomery alone. The additional deaths remained part of the larger story, even though the legal case that led to his death sentence did not include those charges.
The case closed one chapter but leaves the wider investigation history intact
Conahan’s execution ends the punishment phase of the Montgomery case, but the history around the southwest Florida deaths remains a lasting part of state crime records. The fact that investigators linked multiple bodies to the same area has kept the case notable for decades. Even so, only the Montgomery killing led to the conviction that resulted in Thursday’s execution.
For Florida, the execution also reinforces the state’s dominant role in capital punishment this year. With 15 executions completed, it has become the most active death penalty state in the country in 2026. Conahan’s death is now part of that record and of the long-running story surrounding the Hog Trail Killer case.
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