Hog Trail Killer’s Execution Countdown Begins

Handcuffed person in orange jumpsuit behind prison bars. — HOG TRAIL KILLER'S EXECUTION

Florida is set to execute Daniel Owen Conahan Jr. for the 1996 kidnapping and murder of Richard Allen Montgomery, a case that tied one man to a wider trail of bodies in the woods of southwest Florida.

Story Snapshot

Conahan’s death warrant sets his execution for September 10 after decades of appeals.
Courts affirmed his convictions for first-degree murder and kidnapping of Richard Montgomery.
Investigators linked the crime scene to a broader “Hog Trail” of remains found in the region.
Late-stage filings sought DNA testing, a frequent flashpoint in capital cases.

What Happened And Why It Still Matters

Governor Ron DeSantis signed the death warrant for Daniel Owen Conahan Jr., scheduling execution for September 10, as reflected in Florida Supreme Court filings and the warrant text itself. Conahan, now 72, was condemned for the April 1996 kidnapping and strangulation of Richard Allen Montgomery.

The victim’s body was found nude and mutilated in a wooded area. Reporters and court records have long tied that tract to other remains found over several years, a pattern that earned the label “Hog Trail”.

‘Hog Trail Serial Killer’ Convicted of Murdering Man He Paid to Pose Nude Says DNA Proves Innocence Days Before Execution https://t.co/zLAAqnzQhE

— People (@people) September 9, 2026

Charlotte County prosecutors charged Conahan with first-degree premeditated murder, felony murder during kidnapping, kidnapping to commit sexual battery, and sexual battery, according to the Florida Supreme Court record of his case. A grand jury indicted him in February 1997.

He later waived a jury, and a judge found him guilty of murder and kidnapping in 1999, imposing the death sentence that has stood through years of review. Federal and state courts have since upheld the judgment and sentence.

The Record The Appeals Couldn’t Shake

Appeals focused on trial issues and postconviction claims, but courts rejected them and left the death sentence intact. One recent effort sought a stay to allow more DNA testing, a familiar move in capital litigation.

The application to the United States Supreme Court asked for time to review new claims before the lethal injection date. Florida media also reported a late request to the state high court for DNA testing and a stay, echoing a pattern seen nationally in death cases.

These filings did not unsettle the core findings. The Associated Press summarized the case’s backbone: Conahan kidnapped and strangled Montgomery in 1996; authorities found the body in an area linked to at least six sets of remains over three years.

Local reporting has long described Conahan as the “Hog Trail Killer,” reflecting suspected ties to other deaths, though the death sentence arises from the Montgomery case alone. Courts kept a tight focus on the record that proved that crime.

Florida’s Death Warrant And Finality

The warrant states that Conahan murdered Richard Montgomery on or about April 16, 1996, and authorizes the Department of Corrections to carry out the sentence as fixed by law.

The Florida Supreme Court’s related order set deadlines for any pending filings to conclude before the execution date, compressing the endgame of litigation.

That cadence is normal in capital cases. The process protects finality after decades of review while allowing a narrow window for truly new, material evidence to surface.

Calls for last-minute DNA testing arise often because, in a limited set of cases nationwide, such testing has overturned wrongful convictions. The Death Penalty Information Center notes dozens of death row exonerations with DNA playing a key role, though they remain a fraction of total capital cases.

In Conahan’s case, multiple courts reviewed and rejected his challenges. The record supporting guilt for Montgomery’s murder remained strong enough that Florida moved to carry out the sentence, which aligns with the duty to deliver justice for a brutal crime while respecting due process.