The military is poised to execute a prisoner for the first time in 55 years

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Ronald Gray has been on death row for rape and murder.
(Image credit: Getty Images)

A judge has denied a former U.S. Army soldier's bid for another stay of execution, setting the military up to execute its first prisoner in 55 years, CNN reports. Ronald Gray has been on death row since 1988 for committing two murders and three rapes in Fayetteville, North Carolina, while stationed at Fort Bragg. Gray additionally pleaded guilty to two other murders and five rapes in a separate civilian court.

An execution date could be set within the next 30 days, according to Army regulations. The military uses lethal injection to carry out capital punishment.

The last military execution took place in 1961, when John Bennett was hanged after being convicted of raping and trying to kill an 11-year-old Austrian girl. Five other former servicemen are currently on the military's death row at Fort Leavenworth, including Army Maj. Nidal Hasan, who was convicted of 13 counts of murder and 32 counts of murder after his shooting at Fort Hood, Texas, in 2009.

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Jeva Lange
Jeva Lange

Jeva Lange was the executive editor at TheWeek.com. She formerly served as The Week's deputy editor and culture critic. She is also a contributor to Screen Slate, and her writing has appeared in The New York Daily News, The Awl, Vice, and Gothamist, among other publications. Jeva lives in New York City. Follow her on Twitter.