What was the impact on murder? The results are plain to see. Beginning at almost the exact point when executions ended, murder soared to unprecedented heights. The murder rate tied the 1933 record in 1973, broke it in 1974, broke it again in 1980, and peaked a third time in 1990-92. Then suddenly it plummeted, so that by 1999 we were once again back to the levels of 1966 when murder first began its upward sweep. What does all this prove? Well, on the surface, the answer seems obvious. Executions deter murder. When we stop executing people, murders soar. When we resume executing people, murders decline.