Dead Pool 12th & 19th October 2025

Apologies for letting last week’s newsletter slip, life got in the way. However you now have twice as much to read in this bumper two week edition! God help you! Sadly nobody scored points when paedo Ian Watkins was executed in jail, but I think we all win when crims step up and do the right thing. You will also notice from our main feature below that Death Row inmates are being executed at an unprecedented rate. Of the six that have already been killed in the last couple of weeks, only two made the Wiki Death List, so listing Death Row inmates remains a little dodgy.

Look Who You Could Have Had: 13/10 to 19/10

Tony Caunter, 88, English actor (EastEnders, Queenie’s Castle, Juliet Bravo).
Drew Struzan, 78, American film poster illustrator (Star Wars, Indiana Jones, Back to the Future), complications from Alzheimer’s disease.
D’Angelo, 51, American singer-songwriter (“Lady“, “Brown Sugar“, “Untitled (How Does It Feel)“), pancreatic cancer.
Alexander Dityatin, 68, Russian gymnast, three-time Olympic champion.
Samuel Lee Smithers, 72, American convicted murderer, execution by lethal injection.
Charles Ray Crawford, 59, American convicted murderer, execution by lethal injection.
Ace Frehley, 74, American guitarist (Kiss) and songwriter (“Cold Gin“, “Rocket Ride“), complications from a fall.
Lady Annabel Goldsmith, 91, English socialite, namesake of Annabel’s.
Sam Rivers, 48, American bassist (Limp Bizkit).

Look Who You Could Have Had: 06/10 to 12/10

Dame Jilly Cooper, 88, English author (Emily, Octavia, Rutshire Chronicles), complications from a fall.
Ron Dean, 87, American actor (The Dark Knight, The Breakfast Club, The Fugitive).
John Woodvine, 96, English actor (An American Werewolf in London, Z-Cars, Doctor Who).
Paolo Bonacelli, 88, Italian actor (Salò, or the 120 Days of Sodom, Mission Impossible III, Midnight Express).
John Lodge, 82, English musician (The Moody Blues) and songwriter (“I’m Just a Singer (In a Rock and Roll Band)“, “Gemini Dream“).
Diane Keaton, 79, American actress (Annie Hall, The Godfather, Something’s Gotta Give).
Ian Watkins, 48, Welsh singer (Lostprophets) and convicted child sex offender, stabbed.

In Other News

French actress Brigitte Bardot was hospitalised recently upon experiencing a minor health issue. She is now on the mend. The cinema icon underwent minor surgery at the Saint-Tropez hospital in Toulon. According to her team, the surgical operation went well. Bardot is currently recovering at her home in Saint-Tropez. While still in recovery, Brigitte Bardot has expressed her gratitude via a statement to the surgical team and the medical staff. She further stated that she feels okay and is currently resting at her abode. The animal rights activist, who is considered a national treasure by many in France, is 91. She’s been dealing with respiratory issues over the past couple of years. Brigitte’s latest hospital trip isn’t the only time she has suffered health woes. In July 2023, she suffered from severe breathing difficulties, prompting emergency services to rush to her home in Saint-Tropez. Bardot’s name became synonymous with charm and free-spiritedness in the 1950’s and 1960’s. She rose to fame internationally via films like ‘And God Created Women.’ Her performances which were always marked by magnetism and independence, made her the face of a new era of cinema. Beyond acting, the ‘Contempt’ star also navigated the music industry. She released several records during the peak of her professional career. This further solidified her stance in the industry as a multi-talented entertainer. After stepping down from acting in the 1970s, Bardot settled down in Saint Tropez. This beautiful town on the French Riviera captured her heart long ago. Later, she founded her own organisation for protecting and advocating for animals. Since then, she has used most of her time and fame to champion numerous causes.

Kanchha Sherpa, the last surviving member of the first expedition to successfully scale the summit of Mount Everest, has died in the Nepali capital Kathmandu, aged 92. His family said he had recently become unwell. Kanchha Sherpa was 19 when he accompanied the historic team led by Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay to the top of the world’s tallest mountain in 1953. He joined the 35-member expedition as a porter despite no prior mountaineering experience. On the arduous trek lasting more than two weeks, he carried food, tents and equipment up to base camp – and was one of three Sherpas to make it past an altitude of 8,000m (26,247ft). Fellow Nepali mountain guides have described him as a legend and an inspiration. Kanchha Sherpa worked as an high-altitude porter in the Himalayan mountains for two more decades after the expedition, until his wife asked him to stop making the dangerous journeys.

A child killer who started a fire that killed seven people has died at the age of 58. Paul Mosley was sentenced to 14 years in prison for manslaughter after he helped act out his friend’s twisted plot to set a home alight in Derby on May 11th 2012. Ringleader Mick Philpott had conducted the plan so he could act out the hero by saving his children before blaming it all on his former lover. The pair carried out their ‘evil’ act with the help of Philpott’s wife Mairead – but it went disastrously wrong. Father-of-17 Philpott had been living in a cramped three-bedroom council house in Derby with his wife, Mairead, but also lover Lisa Willis and their children. He was said to be sex-obsessed and boasted about his benefits-funded lifestyle, which police revealed brought him an income of £60,000 a year. It was after his relationship with Willis broke down and she moved out of the family home with their five children that Philpott was triggered to devise his plan to win back custody and also secure a larger property for his sizeable brood. Together with his wife and Mosley – a family friend who it was revealed in court was having a sexual relationship with Mairead – Philpott plotted to set fire to their home and frame Willis for arson. His intention was to rescue the sleeping children still living with him through an upstairs window, but the plan went disastrously wrong after too much petrol was used and the fire burned out of control. Philpott, who had previously been jailed for stabbing his schoolgirl lover 27 times, wove a web of lies trying to get away with the crime and even plotted to ‘get rich quick’ off generous donations from the local community meant to pay for the funerals of his children. In the days that followed the fire, Philpott began his elaborate ruse to appear blameless and even appeared at a press conference appealing for information. He and Mairead shed tears for the cameras as they spoke about their children. Police initially charged the trio with murder, but downgraded this to manslaughter because the defendants had not intended to kill the six youngsters, despite their sickeningly reckless actions. The judge described the plot as ‘a wicked and dangerous plan’ that was ‘outside the comprehension of any right-thinking person’. Mosley was sentenced to 17 years for manslaughter after the court found him guilty of helping to start the fatal fire.

Britain’s Got Talent singer Dave Betton, who was given special praise by Simon Cowell, has died at the age of 82. The performer appeared on the ITV show in 2020 alongside his son Dean, reaching the latter stages of the competition. The pair left the judges stunned and received a standing ovation for their rendition of Frank Sinatra’s ‘That’s Life’, as Amanda Holden told them they had ‘smashed it’. Responding at the time, Cowell said: ‘There are certain days I think what I need is a mug of hot chocolate – and you were a mug of hot chocolate! You made me feel good, I needed that.’ Taking to Facebook, Dave’s son Dean shared the news of his father’s death. He wrote: ‘It is with a heavy heart and great sadness that I have to let you all know that the legend that is Dave Betton sadly passed away after a very brief illness in the early hours of Wednesday morning surrounded by his loved ones. Myself, my brother Darren, our wives, his grandsons and granddaughters, great grandsons and great granddaughters, extended family and all his friends will miss him dearly and he will leave us with a huge void to fill. For those that knew him, he lit up a room wherever he went and everyone instantly fell in love with him. Rest easy Pops and I hope Mum is giving you a big telling off for joining her far too soon. Love you always. From me and your loving Family.’ Dave died from sepsis after a brief illness surrounded by his loved ones living in sheltered accommodation in Lytham. His funeral will be held on October 27th.

President Donald Trump is returning to Walter Reed Medical Center for what the White House initially described as a “routine yearly checkup,” just six months after undergoing his annual physical exam. “I think I’m in great shape, but I’ll let you know,” Trump, 79, said from the Oval Office on Thursday. “When I’m around, I like to check. Always be early, it’s a lesson for a lot of people.” Still, the trip to the facility in Bethesda, Maryland, is relatively unusual, departing from a president’s typical calendar of a single exam each year, following a new diagnosis and online rumours and allegations from his political rivals that the president is cognitively impaired. His most recent exam in April marked the public’s first glimpse of the president’s health in his second term, after he became the oldest American to be sworn into office in January. White House physician Sean Barbabella said in a memo at the time that the president is in “excellent health.” After his first physical exam since taking office in January, Trump’s doctor Sean Barbabella issued a three-page summary finding that the president is “fully fit” to serve. Barbabella claimed the president lost 20 pounds since his June 2020 exam, attributed to Trump’s “active lifestyle” that “continues to contribute significantly” to his overall health. “President exhibits excellent cognitive and physical health and is fully fit to execute the duties of the Commander-in-Chief and Head of State,” Barbabella wrote in the April memo. No abnormalities were reported other than sun damage and “scarring” on his right ear from a gunshot wound on his ear after an assassination attempt last year. The memo also listed that the president is taking a cholesterol drug and indicated that the fat cunt is overweight. The president reportedly scored a 30 out of 30 on the Montreal Cognitive Assessment according to the memo, apparently he managed to put the square peg in the square hole correctly. ”Overall, I felt I was in very good shape,” Trump said after his appointment. “A good heart, a good soul, a very good soul.” Yes, Donald, a good soul destined for Hell.

Former England captain Lewis Moody has revealed he has been diagnosed with motor neurone disease and admitted he cannot yet face the full implications of the muscle-wasting condition that killed fellow rugby players Doddie Weir and Rob Burrow. The 47-year-old, who was part of the 2003 Rugby World Cup-winning side and lifted multiple English and European titles with Leicester, spoke to the Flying Monkeys two weeks after learning he has the disease. “There’s something about looking the future in the face and not wanting to really process that at the minute,” he said. “It’s not that I don’t understand where it’s going. We understand that. But there is absolutely a reluctance to look the future in the face for now.” Moody, speaking alongside his wife Annie, says instead he feels “at ease” as he concentrates on his immediate wellbeing, his family and making preparations for when the disease worsens. “Maybe that’s shock or maybe I process things differently, and once I have the information, it’s easier,” he added. Moody discovered he had MND after noticing some weakness in his shoulder while training in the gym. After physiotherapy failed to improve the problem, a series of scans showed nerves in his brain and spinal cord had been damaged by MND. “You’re given this diagnosis of MND and we’re rightly quite emotional about it, but it’s so strange because I feel like nothing’s wrong,” he added. “I don’t feel ill. I don’t feel unwell. My symptoms are very minor. I have a bit of muscle wasting in the hand and the shoulder. I’m still capable of doing anything and everything. And hopefully that will continue for as long as is possible.”

On This Day: 19th October

1953 – Ray Bradbury’s Fahrenheit 451 is published.
1955 – The General Assembly of the European Broadcasting Union approves the staging of the first Eurovision Song Contest.
2019 – Members of Parliament met at the House of Lords to discuss the United Kingdom’s Brexit deal, this was the first Saturday sitting in Parliament since 3rd April 1982 during the Falklands War.

On This Day: 12th October

1492 – Christopher Columbus’s first expedition makes landfall in the Caribbean,
1799 – Jeanne Geneviève Labrosse becomes the first woman to jump from a balloon with a parachute.
1984 – The Bighton Bombing: The Provisional Irish Republican Army fail to assassinate Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher and her cabinet. The bomb kills five people and wounds at least 31 others.

Deaths: 19th October

1937 – Ernest Rutherford, New Zealand-English physicist and chemist, Nobel Prize laureate (born 1871).
1997 – Ken Wood, inventor of the Kenwood Chef food mixer (born 1916).
2010 – Tom Bosley, American actor (born 1927).

Deaths: 12th October

1870 – Robert E. Lee, American general (born 1807).
1978 – Nancy Spungen, American figure of the 1970s punk rock scene (born 1958).
1997 – John Denver, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and actor (born 1943).
2024 – Alex Salmond, Scottish politician, First Minister of Scotland (born 1954).

Five executions in eight days. Why the death penalty is being used more and more

Thirty-four men have been executed by court order in the US this year, with eight more scheduled before its close, five of whom are due to die in the next eight days. This year’s total already significantly surpasses the 25 executions carried out last year. It could mark the highest figure since 2012, when 43 inmates were put to death, though it remains considerably below the modern peak of 98 executions in 1999. The surge in executions is predominantly driven by four states – Florida, Texas, Alabama, and South Carolina – which account for 76 per cent of this year’s court-ordered killings.

“This is not an uptick of executions nationally — this is really down to just a few states,” said Robin Maher, executive director of the Death Penalty Information Center. Chief among them is Florida, which has already carried out 13 executions after performing just one last year. The increase comes as President Donald Trump has urged governors to expand their use of the death penalty.

“Gov. DeSantis is scheduling all of these executions with complete autonomy and in complete secrecy,” Maher said. DeSantis’ office has not responded to questions about why the governor is increasing the pace of executions now and whether Trump’s policies are playing a role.

Executions have been carried out this year in Alabama, Arizona, Florida, Indiana, Louisiana, Mississippi, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee and Texas. All but one of those states — Arizona — are run by Republican governors.

Here’s a look at the executions scheduled for the rest of the year, by state; plus what those who already got the shot ate for their last meal:

Indiana: Roy Lee Ward died by lethal injection early Friday in the state’s third execution since resuming capital punishment last year. Ward, 53, was convicted in the 2001 rape and murder of 15-year-old Stacy Payne. Attorneys said Ward is remorseful and has exhausted his legal options after many court battles. According to DOC officials, Ward’s last meal was from Texas Corral and consisted of the following: One hamburger, one steak melt, one order of French fries, one baked potato with butter, one order of twelve fried shrimp, one sweet potato, one order of chicken alfredo, and one order of breadsticks.

Missouri:: Lance C. Shockley was executed on Tuesday. Shockley, 48, was found guilty of first-degree murder in the death of Missouri State Highway Patrol Sgt. Carl Dewayne Graham outside his home in Carter County in 2005. Authorities said Graham was killed because he was investigating Shockley for involuntary manslaughter and leaving the scene of an accident. Shockley ate his last meal at 11:13a.m.- three packs of oatmeal, peanut butter, water, and two sports drinks.

Florida: Samuel Lee Smithers received a lethal injection on Tuesday evening. Smithers, 72, was convicted of killing two women whose bodies were found in a rural pond in 1996. Authorities said he met his two victims — Christy Cowan and Denise Roach — on different dates at a Tampa motel to pay them for sex. Smithers’ last meal included fried chicken, fried fish, a baked potato, apple pie, vanilla ice cream, and sweet tea.

Norman Mearle Grim Jr., 65, is scheduled to be put to death on October 28th. He was convicted of raping and killing his neighbour Cynthia Campbell, whose body was found near the Pensacola Bay Bridge in 1998. Smithers’ and Grim’s executions would be Florida’s 14th and 15th death sentences carried out in 2025, further extending the state’s record for executions in one year. Since the U.S. Supreme Court restored the death penalty in 1976, the state’s previous record was eight in 2014.

Mississippi: Charles Ray Crawford was executed on Wednesday for kidnapping and killing a college student in 1993. Crawford, 59, was sentenced to death for fatally stabbing 20-year-old community college student Kristy Ray after abducting her from her parents’ home in northern Mississippi’s Tippah County. Crawford told officers he had blacked out and did not recall killing her. Crawford requested a double cheeseburger, french fries, peach cobbler and chocolate ice cream for his last meal.

Texas: Robert Roberson had been scheduled to receive a lethal injection on October 16th, but his closely watched case was paused Thursday by Texas’ top criminal court. Roberson, 58, had been set to become the first person in the U.S. put to death for a murder conviction tied to a diagnosis of shaken baby syndrome. Prosecutors at Roberson’s 2003 trial argued that he hit his 2-year-old daughter Nikki Curtis and violently shook her, causing severe head trauma that led to her death. But Roberson says he never abused the girl. A bipartisan group of Texas lawmakers believe Roberson is innocent and have sought to get him a new trial. Roberson’s lawyers and some medical experts say his daughter died from complications related to pneumonia. They say his conviction was based on flawed and now outdated scientific evidence.

Arizona: Richard Kenneth Djerf was executed on October 17th by lethal injection for killing four members of a family in their Phoenix home. Djerf, 55, had pleaded guilty to four counts of murder in the 1993 killings of Albert Luna Sr., his wife Patricia, their 18-year-old daughter Rochelle and their 5-year-old son Damien. Prosecutors say Djerf blamed another Luna family member for an earlier theft of home electronic items at his apartment and became obsessed with revenge. Djerf’s last meal included a double cheeseburger with lettuce and tomato, onion rings with ketchup, a slice of cherry pie with whipped cream, and a 20-ounce Pepsi with ice.

Alabama: Anthony Todd Boyd is scheduled to be executed by nitrogen gas on October 23rd. A judge sentenced Boyd to death for his role in the 1993 killing of Gregory Huguley in Talladega. Prosecutors said Boyd taped Huguley’s feet together before another man doused him with gasoline and set him on fire over a $200 cocaine debt. Boyd has long maintained his innocence, saying he never participated in the killing.

Tennessee: Harold Nichols is scheduled to be executed December 11th. Nichols, 64, was convicted of rape and first-degree felony murder in the 1988 death of 21-year-old Karen Pulley in Hamilton County. Authorities said he broke into Pulley’s home, raped her and hit her in the head several times with a board. Nichols had been scheduled to be killed in August 2020, but the execution was delayed because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Last Week’s Birthdays

Rebecca Ferguson (42), Jon Favreau (59), John Lithgow (80), Zac Efron (38), Jean-Claude Van Damme (65), Barry Keoghan (33), Pam Dawber (74), Michael McKean (78), Felicity Jones (42), Mark Gatiss (59), Eminem (53), Tim Robbins (67), Dominic West (56), Ncuti Gatwa (33), Sarah Ferguson (66), Ben Whishaw (45), Lori Petty (62), Steve Coogan (60), Sacha Baron Cohen (54), Himesh Patel (35), Christopher Judge (61), and Paul Simon (84).