Marlys Sather walked in on a neighbor burglarizing her home on Sept. 5, 1990. The neighbor, 24-year-old Chadwick Willacy, carried through with the robbery and left no witnesses.

It’s been more than 15 years since Washington state executed a death row inmate. In 2014, then-Gov. Jay Inslee placed a moratorium on executions for the remainder of his term. This followed continuing federal conversations on capital punishment and increasing actions by states to pause or prohibit the practice.

States put to death 47 people last year, double the recent norm. What’s behind the rise?