February 23, 2021 RICHMOND, Va. – A stoke of the pen is all that is left for the abolition of executions in Virginia. A bill to do away the death penalty won final approval in the Virginia Senate Monday and now heads to Gov. Ralph Northam, who has said he will sign it. The measure would make Virginia the first Southern state to abandon capital punishment. State lawmakers gave final approval to the bill Monday, a dramatic turnaround for a state that has executed more people in its long history than any other. The legislation would make Virginia the 23rd state to stop executions.