A group of military veterans is calling on Gov. Ron DeSantis to stop executing veterans on death row, noting the state is preparing to execute a fourth veteran this year.
The group is presenting a letter to the governor on Wednesday in Tallahassee, urging him to reconsider the scheduled Aug. 19 execution of Kayle Bates, a veteran of the U.S. Armed Forces. The letter is signed by more than 130 veterans.
Bates, 67, was sent to Death Row for the 1982 stabbing death of Janet White, who was abducted from the State Farm insurance office in Bay County where she worked.
"To execute a veteran who was broken by war and left without adequate care is not justice. It is a failure of duty. It is the final abandonment," the letter reads.
If carried out, Bates' execution would mark the tenth overall and fourth veteran execution in Florida this year, according to the military veterans. The group reports there are 30 veterans currently on death row.
READ MORE: Florida matches a modern-era record with its eighth execution in one year
Since DeSantis took office, five veterans — Bobby Joe Long, Duane Owen, Edward James, Jeffrey Hutchinson, and Edward Zakrzewski — have already been executed, said the group. The men were all convicted of serious crimes and went through a lengthy appeals process.
The veterans' letter directly appeals to DeSantis' own military background.
"We can never be a veteran friendly state when our leader is signing off on their deaths at the hands of the State," the group writes. "We urge you now to lead from a place of bravery, to return to the honor code from your service, and to stop setting the executions of our fellow soldiers."
The group is scheduling a press conference Wednesday morning at the Challenger Learning Center in Tallahassee.
"Executing our nation's warriors should call for deep soul searching," said Art Cody, Captain U.S. Navy and Director of the Center for Veteran Criminal Advocacy, in a statement.
Ron Wright, a Florida death row exoneree and veteran, called the executions "a betrayal."
"We urge Governor DeSantis to recognize the humanity of these men and women and take action to prevent their needless deaths," Wright said.
Brent Schneider, a U.S. Army Master Sergeant and assistant public defender, added, "Florida should be protecting our veterans and ensuring those who return home with injuries, both visible and invisible, get the support that they deserve."
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