Lethal Injection

Florida put two inmates to death hours apart on Tuesday, marking the first time since 2017 that a state has scheduled two executions in a single day.

Dennis Sochor, convicted of murdering Patricia Gifford in 1982, apologized several times to her family and thanked his own loved ones for their support before the deadly drugs began flowing.

The last prisoner strapped to a table in Florida’s death chamber was 74 years old — the oldest the state has executed in modern times. The next two scheduled for lethal injections are older still.

Dusty Ray Spencer has spent more than three decades on Death Row for murdering his wife in Orange County.

Opponents of the death penalty say Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has more authority than other states' top officials in approving death warrants, a factor driving the high number of executions.

Dusty Ray Spencer, who was found guilty in the beating death of his wife, Karen, is scheduled to die June 25. The next Florida execution scheduled is for Andrew Lukehart on Tuesday.

Richard Knight was convicted of murder in the June 2002 killings of Odessia Stephens and her young daughter, Hanessia Mullings.

James Ernest Hitchcock received a lethal injection Thursday evening at Florida State Prison for the July 1976 killing of Cynthia Driggers

Chadwick Willacy, 58, received the three-drug injection for the 1990 killing of Marlys Sather. It was the state's fifth execution in 2026 following a record 19 executions last year.

A Florida man was executed Tuesday night for the rape and murder of a young mom who frantically called 911 for help while she was tied up in her attacker's car. Fifty-four-year-old Michael Lee King received a lethal injection Tuesday evening at Florida State Prison.

Michael Lee King shot his neighbor in the face and burned her alive in 2008, court records say. The case led to the passing of the Denise Amber Lee Act, which provides better training for 911 operators.

Moments before receiving a lethal injection, Billy Kearse asked for forgiveness from the family of Danny Parrish, whose widow said she found peace after a "long, long 35 years.”