A man convicted of raping and killing his neighbor decades ago was put to death Tuesday evening in a record 15th execution in Florida this year.
Norman Mearle Grim Jr., 65, was pronounced dead following a three-drug injection at Florida State Prison near Starke. He was convicted of sexual battery and first-degree murder in the July 1998 death of Cynthia Campbell.
The curtain to the death chamber went up promptly at the scheduled 6 p.m. execution time. Grim was already strapped to a table with his arm extended and an IV in place. Asked if he wished to make a final statement, he said, “No sir."
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The lethal injection began about a minute later, followed by Grim closing his eyes, breathing heavily and twitching slightly.
The inmate eventually stopped moving and a warden shook him several times and yelled his name, with no response from Grim. A medic was called in at 6:13 p.m. to check Grim’s vitals, and the man was declared dead a minute later.
Grim was convicted in 2000 in the killing of Campbell, his next-door neighbor in Santa Rosa County. After she was reported missing in 1998, her battered body was found in waters near the Pensacola Bay Bridge by a fisherman.
Prosecutors said Campbell had suffered multiple blunt-force injuries to her face and head that were consistent with being struck by a hammer, as well has 11 stab wounds in the chest. An autopsy revealed seven of the stab wounds penetrated her heart. Physical evidence including DNA tied Grim to her killing.
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Since the U.S. Supreme Court restored the death penalty in 1976, the highest previous annual total of Florida executions was eight in 2014. Florida has executed more people than any other state this year, followed by Texas and Alabama with five each.
After a death warrant is signed and an execution date is set, inmates have a last chance to make appeals to the Florida Supreme Court and the U.S. Supreme Court. But Grim recently waived any appeals. He received no visitors Tuesday and did not meet with a spiritual adviser, authorities said.
A total of 40 men have died by court-ordered execution so far this year in the U.S., and at least 18 other people are scheduled to be put to death during the remainder of 2025 and next year.
Two more executions are planned for next month in Florida under death warrants signed by Gov. Ron DeSantis.
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Bryan Fredrick Jennings, 66, is scheduled for the state's 16th execution on Nov. 13. He was convicted of raping and killing a 6-year-old girl in 1979 after entering through a window and abducting her from her Brevard County home.
Richard Barry Randolph, 63, is set for Florida’s 17th execution on Nov. 20. He was convicted of the 1988 rape and fatal beating of his former manager at a Putnam County convenience store.
Florida's lethal injections are carried out with a sedative, a paralytic and a drug that stops the heart, according to the state Department of Corrections.
