(18) MOST DANGEROUS Inmates Scheduled for Execution by U.S. Federal Prisons | Full List – YouTube
Transcripts:
Mass murderers, spies, unrepentant killers, and hardened criminals. These are the kinds of individuals who end up on death row in the United States federal system. Since 1927, over 50 federal executions have taken place. In this video, we’ll look at three of the most dangerous inmates currently locked inside one of the most secure prisons in the world as they wait to be executed.
Welcome to criminal records. Jokar Anzorovich Sarnav Jookart Sarnav was just 19 years old when he became one of the most notorious terrorists in recent American history. Born in Kyrgyzstan, his family later moved to the United States and he became an American citizen just 7 months before the attack.
On April 15th, 2013, Jokar and his older brother, 26-year-old Tamarilyn Sarnav, carried out the Boston Marathon bombing. Two homemade explosives detonated 12 seconds apart near the finish line on Boilston Street. The attack killed three people. 8-year-old Martin Richard, 29-year-old restaurant manager Crystal Campbell, and 23-year-old Chinese graduate student Lingu.
Over 260 others were injured, many of them severely. After the bombing, Jokar returned to his university where he was studying mechanical engineering. He appeared calm, went to the gym, and even attended parties. Some reports say that just 2 hours after the attack, he tweeted telling people in Boston to stay safe. Days later, the FBI released surveillance images of the suspects and asked the public to help identify them.
The brothers fled to their home, grabbed more weapons, and headed to MIT where they shot and killed Officer Sha Collier in an attempt to steal his service weapon. That same night, they carjacked a vehicle, but the driver managed to escape and alerted police. A high-speed chase and shootout followed. During the confrontation, Tamarlin was critically injured and died after being accidentally run over by Jokar as he tried to flee.
Jokar escaped on foot and later hid in a boat in a residential backyard. The boat’s owner discovered him and immediately called 911. police responded and after a brief standoff, Jokar was captured and taken to a Boston hospital with serious injuries. While hospitalized, he confessed that the attack was religiously motivated and revealed that he and his brother had also planned to detonate another bomb in New York City’s Time Square.
He repeatedly asked about his brother’s condition. Jookar was charged with 30 federal offenses, including using a weapon of mass destruction, resulting in death and malicious destruction of property. He pleaded not guilty to all charges. His trial began in January 2015, and on April 8th, he was found guilty on all counts.
During the sentencing phase, the jury recommended the death penalty for six of those charges. Before his formal sentencing, Jokar stood up and addressed the court, thanking the judge and his attorneys and apologizing to the victims and their families. I pray for your relief, for your healing. I am sorry for the lives that I’ve taken, for the suffering that I’ve caused you, for the damage that I’ve done, irreparable damage.
Despite this, many survivors and relatives of the victims asked that he be sentenced to life without parole, fearing the long appeals process would force them to relive that day repeatedly. On June 24th, 2015, a federal judge formally sentenced him to death. In addition to the bombing victims, Officer Dennis Simmons, one of the first responders, died a year later due to injuries sustained during the shootout.
As of April 2025, Jared Zarnav has been on federal death row for nearly 10 years. He is currently incarcerated at the United States Penitentiary Administrative Maximum Facility, ADX, in Florence, Colorado. Known for housing some of the most dangerous and high-profile inmates in the world. Dylan Storm Roof. On the evening of June 17th, 2015, 21-year-old Dylan Storm Roof committed one of the most heinous racially motivated crimes in modern American history.
Born and raised in Colombia, South Carolina, Roof walked into the historic Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Charleston, a place known as one of the oldest black congregations in the United States. ROF was welcomed warmly by the congregation and joined a Bible study session. He sat with the group for nearly an hour listening and praying with them.
But during the closing prayer, he stood up, pulled out a handgun, and opened fire on the church members. Nine African-Amean individuals were murdered in cold blood, including the church’s senior pastor and South Carolina State Senator, Clementa C. Pinkney. Three others survived, though one was severely injured.
ROF fled the scene, but the next day, a citizen in Shelby, North Carolina, recognized his car from a police alerts. Trusting her instincts, she followed the vehicle and called the authorities. He was arrested during a routine traffic stop without resistance. Investigators later discovered that Roof had purchased the firearm used in the attack with money received for his birthday.
During his interrogation, he openly confessed, stating the attack was racially motivated and that he was driven by white supremacist beliefs. His phone and computer revealed that he had been in contact with other white nationalist groups and had visited extremist websites regularly. According to those who knew him, ROF originally intended to target a school.
When that plan failed due to security checks, he shifted his focus to the church. One friend recalled him ominously saying, “They all got 7 days.” That threat came exactly one week before the massacre. ROF later admitted that he briefly considered backing out of the attack because the church members had been so kind to him, but ultimately decided to go through with it.
Throughout the interrogation, he laughed frequently and showed little to no remorse. In December 2016, ROF was tried in federal court on 33 charges, including hate crimes resulting in death, obstruction of religion, and multiple firearm offenses. During sentencing, he chose to represent himself and presented no evidence or witnesses in his defense.
In January 2017, the jury found him guilty on all counts and recommended the death penalty. The judge formally sentenced him to death. As of April 2025, Dylan Roof has been on federal death row for over 8 years. He is currently incarcerated at the United States Penitentiary in Teroot, Indiana, the primary facility for male federal death row inmates.
In December 2024, President Joe Biden commuted the sentences of 37 inmates on federal death row to life imprisonment without the possibility of parole. However, Dylan Roof was one of just three individuals whose sentences were not commuted. In a related but separate case, over 3 years after the church massacre, ROF’s younger sister, Morgan Roof, was arrested for bringing weapons and drugs to school.
She was released on a $5,000 bond with a judge ordering her to stay away from the school where the incident occurred, AC Flora High School. Robert Gregory Bowers. On the morning of October 27th, 2018, Robert Gregory Bowers carried out a devastating mass shooting at the Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. This horrific assault resulted in the deaths of 11 worshippers, marking it as the deadliest attack against the Jewish community in United States history.
Around 9:45 a.m., members of the Tree of Life, Dor Hadash, and New Light congregations had gathered for their regular Shabbat services. A few minutes later, Bowers, a heavily built, bearded white male, entered the building armed with multiple firearms, including a Glock 357 handgun and a Colt AR-15 rifle.
He opened fire almost immediately. The first victims were brothers Ceil and David Rosenthal, whom he shot at the synagogue’s main entrance. Bowers then moved downstairs. At first, congregants thought the noises were from a falling ceiling rack. No one expected what was coming. Melvin Wax, a respected member of the congregation, hiding in a closet with three others, mistakenly opened the door.
Bowers shot him, but failed to notice the others still hiding. As he moved through the synagogue, Bowers shot anyone he came across, even those in the kitchen. He killed Jerry Rabinowitz, a medical doctor who had rushed out in an attempt to help the wounded. Bowers then made his way upstairs where over a dozen individuals, including Rabbi Jeffrey Meyers, were hiding.
The rabbi managed to help four people escape, but was unable to save the others. Bowers entered and opened fire once more, shooting seven more individuals and leaving one seriously injured. Eyewitnesses, including Rabbi Meyers, testified that Bowers was shouting anti-Semitic slurs throughout the rampage, clearly expressing his intent to harm Jewish people.
The attack lasted around 20 minutes before law enforcement arrived. During the shootout, Bowers injured five police officers before being shot multiple times himself. Eventually unable to withstand his injuries, he surrendered and was taken into custody. He was later charged with 63 federal crimes, including hate crimes resulting in death, obstruction of religious beliefs, and use of a firearm to commit murder.
His trial began in May 2023. The defense argued that Bower suffered from mental illness and had significant brain damage. However, courtappointed doctors testified that his actions were calculated, deliberate, and that he showed no remorse. One doctor stated that Bowowers was proud of what he had done. Additional details emerged during the trial, including past violent behavior, such as an incident at age 13, where he attempted to set his mother on fire using flammable liquid.
On June 16th, 2023, Bowers was found guilty on all counts. It was revealed he had fired over 67 rounds during the attack. On August 2nd, after weeks of emotional testimony, the jury unanimously recommended the death penalty. A federal judge formally sentenced him the following day. Bowers became the first and so far only individual to receive a federal death sentence during President Joe Biden’s administration.
As of April 2025, Robert Bowers has been on federal death row for 1 year and 8 months. He is currently housed at the United States Penitentiary in Terry Hoot, Indiana alongside other male inmates sentenced to death for federal crimes. Due to the complex nature of the federal appeals process, it’s expected that many years will pass before an execution date is considered.
