Prison officials cite need for space on death row as Isabela Del Toro enters final days before scheduled Sept. 22 execution
ROCKVILLE — Officials at Rockville Penitentiary have transferred condemned inmate Isabela Del Toro to the prison’s death watch unit earlier than normally scheduled, beginning the final phase of
confinement before her planned execution on September 22.
According to prison officials, the unusual early transfer was made in part to free space on the institution’s death row wing. Del Toro will now remain in a specially designated cell in the prison’s death house, adjacent to the execution chamber, unless a court or other legal authority intervenes.
The transfer began during the night, when Del Toro was awakened and informed by the warden that preparations for her execution were moving forward and that she would immediately be relocated.
Del Toro was permitted to take only a limited number of personal belongings with her. Condemned inmates entering death watch are typically restricted to necessities such as an additional set of clothing and several books. Property left behind is inventoried and either returned to the prison system or donated, depending on the item.
Officials said Del Toro remained compliant throughout the transfer.
She is now being held under heightened security, with correctional staff maintaining strict surveillance and monitoring as the execution date approaches. Access to the inmate is also substantially restricted during this period.
So far, Del Toro has been permitted contact with her legal team and spiritual adviser. Her attorneys may continue pursuing legal remedies during the remaining days before the execution.
Del Toro, 39, was sentenced to death in 2019 following convictions on two counts of first-degree murder. Her sentence is scheduled to be carried out in the electric chair on Sept. 22.
Barring a stay of execution or other legal intervention, Del Toro is expected to remain inside the death watch unit until she is taken from her cell to the execution chamber.
For now, the move marks a significant transition: Del Toro is no longer simply housed on death row. She is now living in the section of Rockville Penitentiary reserved for an inmate's final days.