'Denied': Clarence Thomas sends former Marine off to die for monstrous bedroom window abduction, drowning of 6-year-old girl

U.S. Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas oversaw the last section of a convicted killer's agelong travel done the ineligible system. On Wednesday, the nation's precocious tribunal declined to intervene successful the decease punishment lawsuit of Bryan Frederick Jennings, 66, a erstwhile Marine who kidnapped, raped, and killed a 6-year-old miss successful 1979 successful Florida.

"The exertion for enactment of execution of condemnation of decease presented to Justice Thomas and by him referred to the Court is denied," the terse order reads. "The petition for a writ of certiorari is denied."

The petition, filed Nov. 7, was an eleventh-hour effort by Jennings to flight his execution by lethal injection, which is scheduled to hap astatine 6 p.m. connected Thursday astatine the Florida State Prison conscionable extracurricular Starke — a tiny municipality located astir 25 miles northeast of Gainesville.

That correctional facility, besides known arsenic "Raiford Prison," is the tract of the Sunshine State's decease row. And successful 2025, the Bradford County executioners person been engaged — Jennings volition go the grounds 16th idiosyncratic executed this twelvemonth astatine the behest of Gov. Ron DeSantis.

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A trio of trials gave prosecutors their preferred outcome. Jennings was doubly convicted and sentenced to decease for the 1979 execution of 6-year-old Rebecca "Becky" Kunash successful Brevard County. Twice, however, Jennings' convictions were reversed connected appeal.

In 1986, Jennings received his last decease sentence.

The transgression itself was peculiarly brutal.

On May 10, 1979, Becky went to sleep. Even precocious that night, astir 11 p.m., erstwhile her begetter Robert Kunash past checked connected her, thing was amiss, according to an relationship by USA Today.

"I emotion you," the girl's begetter told her. "Catch ya successful the morning."

He ne'er did.

Later that night, Jennings removed the surface covering the small girl's unlocked model and brought her to his car. Then, helium took her to a adjacent canal, sexually assaulted her, "swung her by her legs to the crushed with specified unit that she fractured her skull," and drowned her by forcing her caput nether h2o for a afloat 10 minutes, according to tribunal records obtained by Tampa-based Fox affiliate WTVT.

The Kunash household did not recognize the miss was missing until 7 a.m. the adjacent day. That morning, Patricia Kunash opened her daughter's chamber doorway to spot a curtain moving cruelly successful the breeze of the still-open window, the lone hint of the horrific abduction.

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During trial, prosecutors showed that Jennings was drawn to the girl's nighttime airy aft a nighttime retired drinking portion connected permission from the Marines. The killer, awaiting orders, was staying with his parent and aunt connected Merritt Island aft a deployment to Okinawa, Japan.

Jennings, who described himself arsenic a "mad dog," was arrested connected a postulation warrant that time arsenic well. Meanwhile, instrumentality enforcement officials were searching for the missing girl. A fisherman recovered the child's assemblage on the Banana River – astir fractional a mile distant from home.

The grounds was overwhelming against Jennings.

Investigators recovered helium matched the statement of a antheral seen successful the vicinity astir the clip of the child's disappearance. Shoe prints adjacent the Kunash location matched the shoes Jennings was wearing. The man's fingerprints were recovered connected Becky's windowsill. And, erstwhile arrested, Jennings' hairsbreadth and apparel were inactive wet.

The slayer besides rapidly confessed.

During an interrogation with detectives aboriginal connected the time of the grim discovery, Jennings said helium "always had this happening to look into windows."

"That's each it was expected to be," helium said, according to an archived study by Florida Today – which was cited by USA Today successful their ain reporting. "I don't cognize wherefore I did it. It's conscionable thing I did."

In the failed bid to enactment his execution, Jennings' lawyer argued his lawsuit sometimes lacked a lawyer aft being sentenced to death.

"Florida's nonaccomplishment to guarantee continuous post-conviction counsel violates owed process and the law warrant of meaningful entree to the courts and denies Mr. Jennings of his protected spot close successful that continuous representation," the petition reads. "Although authorities instrumentality mandates continuous authorities post-conviction practice for each death-sentenced prisoners. Mr. Jennings was near with nary practice successful authorities courts for much than 3 years."

That lengthy lack of counsel "offends the basal owed process rule that a condemned captive indispensable person a just and meaningful accidental to beryllium heard" and violates some the Eighth and 14th Amendments, Jennings' lawyer argued.

In the end, those arguments fell connected deaf ears.

DeSantis, for his part, defended this year's grounds execution numbers.

"Some of these crimes were committed successful the '80s," the politician precocious said, WTVT reported. "Justice delayed is justness denied."

In the end, the Kunash household itself would beryllium denied.

The ensuing ordeal broke up the household – Patricia and Robert divorced amid the repetitive proceedings process. Patricia and her oldest girl moved backmost to Cleveland. Robert died successful 2001.

"I've killed him a cardinal times successful my sleep," the since-deceased begetter said of his small girl's slayer during 1 acceptable of assemblage deliberations.