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A Florida antheral convicted of fatally stabbing his cousin's woman and the couple's 4-year-old girl was enactment to decease Thursday evening, becoming the seventh idiosyncratic executed by the authorities this year.
Richard Knight, 47, was pronounced dormant astatine 6:13 p.m. Eastern Time pursuing a three-drug injection astatine Florida State Prison adjacent Starke. Knight was convicted of 2 counts of first-degree murder successful the June 2002 killings of Odessia Stephens and her daughter, Hanessia Mullings.
The curtain of the decease enclosure went up promptly astatine the scheduled 6:00 p.m. execution time. Knight was already strapped down with his arms extended and an IV enactment successful place.
Asked by the warden if helium wished to marque a past statement, Knight declared, "I privation to springiness acknowledgment to Yahweh, who is the astir high."
The execution began instantly aft that. Knight closed his eyes and hardly moved arsenic the drugs began entering his system. After astir 10 minutes, a medic was called into the country and the inmate was declared dead.
This was Florida's seventh execution truthful acold this year, pursuing a authorities grounds 19 executions successful 2025. Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis oversaw much executions successful a azygous twelvemonth successful 2025 than immoderate different Florida politician since the death penalty was reinstated successful 1976. The erstwhile grounds was acceptable successful 2014 with 8 executions.
According to tribunal records, Knight had been surviving successful Coral Springs, adjacent Fort Lauderdale, with his cousin, his cousin's woman and their girl successful June 2000. Knight and Stephens often argued astir Knight surviving there. One evening portion Knight's relative was astatine work, Stephens told Knight that helium would request to determination retired the adjacent morning. Knight became aggravated and stabbed Stephens aggregate times and past attacked the young girl, officials said.
While being held astatine the Broward County Jail pursuing his arrest, Knight confessed the killings to different inmate, who testified against Knight during his trial.
The Florida Supreme Court denied Knight's appeals past Friday. The tribunal rejected his assertion of recently discovered evidence, pointing retired that an unidentified fingerprint recovered connected a weapon astatine the execution country was known astir and addressed during Knight's archetypal trial. The tribunal besides rejected claims based connected Florida's execution protocols and warrant process.
A last entreaty was inactive pending earlier the U.S. Supreme Court.
A full of 47 radical were executed successful the U.S. successful 2025. Florida led the mode with a flurry of decease warrants signed by DeSantis. Alabama, South Carolina and Texas tied for 2nd with 5 executions each.
Another execution is planned successful Florida connected June 2. Andrew Richard Lukehart, 53, was convicted of fatally beating of his girlfriend's babe girl successful 1996.
All Florida executions are carried retired via lethal injection of a sedative, a paralytic and a cause that stops the heart, according to the Department of Corrections.
Earlier Thursday, the planned execution of Tennessee inmate Tony Carruthers was called disconnected aft officials rapidly established the main IV enactment for a lethal injection, but said they couldn't find a suitable vein for a backup enactment arsenic required. Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee announced the authorities would not effort again for astatine slightest a twelvemonth to execute Carruthers, who was convicted of murdering 3 people.
Attorney Maria DeLiberato said she saw her lawsuit Carruthers "wincing and groaning" during attempts to insert the IV enactment earlier the effort was paused.
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