Jesse Guardado, who murdered a Panhandle woman in 2004 after she helped him reset his life following his release from jail, was put to death by lethal injection at Florida State Prison on Thursday.
Guardado, 64, was pronounced dead at 6:13 p.m., according to the Department of Corrections.
According to the Associated Press, Guardado was already strapped to a gurney with an IV in his arm when the death chamber curtain went up promptly at 6 p.m. Asked if he had a last statement, he replied, “I would like to once again apologize for the pain and suffering I’ve caused to the victim’s family and my own family as well.”
The drugs began flowing immediately afterward. Guardado began breathing heavily, followed by some sputtering and twitching. Soon after, a warden shook Guardado and shouted his name but got no response and a medic then pronounced him dead.
He was the 19th inmate put to death this year by the state, equal to the number of executions in 2025, which was the most in a single year for Florida since the 1976, when U.S. Supreme Court reinstituted the death penalty.
Gov. Ron DeSantis, who exits the office in January, has already signed two additional warrants that would establish a new single year mark and bring the number of executions under his watch to 49.
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U.S. Sen. Rick Scott oversaw 28 as governor between 2011 and 2019.
The U.S Supreme Court denied Guardado’s request for a stay Thursday afternoon.
The Florida Supreme Court declined Guardado’s request for a stay last Thursday.
Guardado’s attorneys filed a petition arguing that Florida’s clemency process violates his right to due process and separately challenged Florida’s lethal injection protocol.
Patrick Malone, the victim's son, told reporters that he questioned those who oppose the death penalty.
“Do such people ever think about what happened to the victim or consider the unending aftermath the victim’s family endures and relives every time that terrible event comes up?” Malone said.
DeSantis has said he is delivering justice for victims’ families.
“I want to make sure that (death row inmates) that have exhausted all these appeals over many years, sometimes decades, like when all that's done … and there's victims’ families that are wanting to see justice, that I'm doing my part to deliver that,” DeSantis said during a 2025 appearance in Jacksonville.
DeSantis has also claimed that the death penalty could be a “strong deterrent” if sentences were carried out more quickly.
ALSO READ: Florida puts 77-year-old man to death for a deputy's killing in its 18th execution this year
According to court records, Guardado killed 75-year-old Jackie Malone on Sept. 13, 2004.
Guardado went to Malone’s Walton County home armed with a metal “breaker bar” and kitchen knife, after his attempt to rob a local grocery store fell through. He had rented from Malone, stayed as a guest in her secluded home, and received her assistance on multiple occasions.
At the time, Guardado was on conditional release from prison that began Jan. 1, 2003. He had been sentenced to 20 years in Orange County for robbery and 15- to 20 years for robbery with a weapon in Seminole County. His supervision was to run through Feb. 6, 2014.
At Malone’s house, Guardado said he needed to use the phone. When she turned her back, he repeatedly struck her in the head. Malone raised her hands to defend herself before falling to the living room floor. Believing she was still alive, Guardado then stabbed her several times and slashed her throat. Guardado then stole a jewelry box, briefcase, purse, and cellphone.
DeSantis has already signed a warrant for Thomas Mitchell Overton, who killed a Tavernier couple in 1992, to be executed Nov. 19. Overton turned 71 on Thursday.
Last Friday, DeSantis signed a warrant for Ricardo Gonzalez, 56, who killed North Miami Beach police officer Steven Bauer during a 1992 bank robbery, to be executed Dec. 1.
