Topline: Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has signed a death warrant for convicted killer Daniel Conahan, setting a September execution window in the 1996 murder of Richard Allen Montgomery.
Published: August 15, 2026 7:04 am ET
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TAMPA, FL — Gov. Ron DeSantis has signed a death warrant for Daniel Owen Conahan Jr., the convicted killer known as the “Hog Trail Killer,” setting a September execution window in the 1996 kidnapping and murder of 21-year-old Richard Allen Montgomery in Charlotte County.
According to WFLA and a matching report from NBC Miami, Conahan, 72, is scheduled to be executed by lethal injection on Sept. 10 at Florida State Prison, with the warrant setting an execution window that runs from noon Sept. 10 through noon Sept. 17.
Conahan was convicted in 1999 of first-degree murder and kidnapping in Montgomery’s death after investigators said he lured the young man into the woods with an offer to pay him for nude bondage photos. Montgomery’s body was found the following day in a wooded area near U.S. 41, and investigators said he had been bound and strangled.
Authorities later tied Conahan to the killing through physical evidence and a prior report from Stanley Burden, who told police he had been assaulted after being offered money for a similar setup involving nude photographs and being tied to a tree. NBC Miami reported investigators accused Conahan of raping Montgomery and mutilating the body in an effort to eliminate DNA evidence.
Investigators also examined Conahan in the deaths of at least five other men found in wooded areas from North Port to Fort Myers between 1993 and 1996, helping give rise to the “Hog Trail Killer” nickname. But he was not convicted in those other deaths, and the scheduled execution stems from Montgomery’s murder alone.
The Florida Supreme Court upheld Conahan’s conviction and death sentence in 2003. His execution would come as Florida continues an aggressive pace of death warrants under DeSantis this year.
Presumption of Innocence: A presumption of innocence means that any defendant in a criminal trial is presumed to be innocent until they have been proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law. The defendant in this case is only accused of the charges set forth in the criminal complaint. They are innocent until proven guilty.
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DeSantis Signs Death Warrant For ‘Hog Trail Killer’ Daniel Conahan
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has signed a death warrant for convicted killer Daniel Conahan, setting a September execution window in the 1996 murder of Richard Allen Montgomery.
By Silvia Torres
Published: August 15, 2026 7:04 am ET
TAMPA, FL — Gov. Ron DeSantis has signed a death warrant for Daniel Owen Conahan Jr., the convicted killer known as the “Hog Trail Killer,” setting a September execution window in the 1996 kidnapping and murder of 21-year-old Richard Allen Montgomery in Charlotte County.
According to WFLA and a matching report from NBC Miami, Conahan, 72, is scheduled to be executed by lethal injection on Sept. 10 at Florida State Prison, with the warrant setting an execution window that runs from noon Sept. 10 through noon Sept. 17.
Conahan was convicted in 1999 of first-degree murder and kidnapping in Montgomery’s death after investigators said he lured the young man into the woods with an offer to pay him for nude bondage photos. Montgomery’s body was found the following day in a wooded area near U.S. 41, and investigators said he had been bound and strangled.
Authorities later tied Conahan to the killing through physical evidence and a prior report from Stanley Burden, who told police he had been assaulted after being offered money for a similar setup involving nude photographs and being tied to a tree. NBC Miami reported investigators accused Conahan of raping Montgomery and mutilating the body in an effort to eliminate DNA evidence.
Investigators also examined Conahan in the deaths of at least five other men found in wooded areas from North Port to Fort Myers between 1993 and 1996, helping give rise to the “Hog Trail Killer” nickname. But he was not convicted in those other deaths, and the scheduled execution stems from Montgomery’s murder alone.
The Florida Supreme Court upheld Conahan’s conviction and death sentence in 2003. His execution would come as Florida continues an aggressive pace of death warrants under DeSantis this year.
Presumption of Innocence: A presumption of innocence means that any defendant in a criminal trial is presumed to be innocent until they have been proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law. The defendant in this case is only accused of the charges set forth in the criminal complaint. They are innocent until proven guilty.
Editor's Note: ThePo makes every effort to accurately transcribe the contents of affidavits of probable cause contained in criminal complaints. Often, the complaints themselves are copies of copies of faxed copies, and are difficult to read. To confirm the accuracy of our transcription, contact the Magisterial District Court listed above and request a copy of the criminal complaint. It's a public record to which you are entitled.
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Editor Picks
Latest Articles
DeSantis Signs Death Warrant For ‘Hog Trail Killer’ Daniel Conahan
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has signed a death warrant for convicted killer Daniel Conahan, setting a September execution window in the 1996 murder of Richard Allen Montgomery.
By Silvia Torres
Published: August 15, 2026 7:04 am ET
TAMPA, FL — Gov. Ron DeSantis has signed a death warrant for Daniel Owen Conahan Jr., the convicted killer known as the “Hog Trail Killer,” setting a September execution window in the 1996 kidnapping and murder of 21-year-old Richard Allen Montgomery in Charlotte County.
According to WFLA and a matching report from NBC Miami, Conahan, 72, is scheduled to be executed by lethal injection on Sept. 10 at Florida State Prison, with the warrant setting an execution window that runs from noon Sept. 10 through noon Sept. 17.
Conahan was convicted in 1999 of first-degree murder and kidnapping in Montgomery’s death after investigators said he lured the young man into the woods with an offer to pay him for nude bondage photos. Montgomery’s body was found the following day in a wooded area near U.S. 41, and investigators said he had been bound and strangled.
Authorities later tied Conahan to the killing through physical evidence and a prior report from Stanley Burden, who told police he had been assaulted after being offered money for a similar setup involving nude photographs and being tied to a tree. NBC Miami reported investigators accused Conahan of raping Montgomery and mutilating the body in an effort to eliminate DNA evidence.
Investigators also examined Conahan in the deaths of at least five other men found in wooded areas from North Port to Fort Myers between 1993 and 1996, helping give rise to the “Hog Trail Killer” nickname. But he was not convicted in those other deaths, and the scheduled execution stems from Montgomery’s murder alone.
The Florida Supreme Court upheld Conahan’s conviction and death sentence in 2003. His execution would come as Florida continues an aggressive pace of death warrants under DeSantis this year.
Presumption of Innocence: A presumption of innocence means that any defendant in a criminal trial is presumed to be innocent until they have been proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law. The defendant in this case is only accused of the charges set forth in the criminal complaint. They are innocent until proven guilty.
Editor's Note: ThePo makes every effort to accurately transcribe the contents of affidavits of probable cause contained in criminal complaints. Often, the complaints themselves are copies of copies of faxed copies, and are difficult to read. To confirm the accuracy of our transcription, contact the Magisterial District Court listed above and request a copy of the criminal complaint. It's a public record to which you are entitled.
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