Man convicted of triple murder put to death in Florida in state's 11th execution this year

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Florida carried retired its 11th execution of the twelvemonth connected Thursday — a record-setting fig successful the modern epoch — aft the U.S. Supreme Court rejected a last entreaty for a antheral convicted of 3 murders successful 1992.

Curtis Windom, 59, was enactment to decease by lethal injection astatine Florida State Prison aft being convicted of sidesplitting his girlfriend, Valerie Davis; her mother, Mary Lubin, and Johnnie Lee, a antheral helium claimed owed him money, connected Feb. 7, 1992. The precocious tribunal declined to perceive his lawsuit connected Wednesday, pursuing a akin rejection by the Florida Supreme Court past week. Gov. Ron DeSantis connected July 29 signed a death warrant for Windom.

Authorities said Windom was pronounced dormant astatine 6:17 p.m. aft receiving a three-drug injection. His last words were unintelligible, and helium showed little carnal reactions earlier becoming still.

Windom went connected a shooting spree

According to tribunal documents, Windom claimed Lee owed him $2,000. After uncovering retired that Lee had won $114 astatine a greyhound track, Windom bought a .38-caliber revolver and ammunition and changeable Lee.

Windom past went to the flat of Davis, his girlfriend, and fatally changeable her, according to the tribunal documents. Lubin, Davis' mother, near enactment and drove down a thoroughfare aft uncovering retired her girl had been shot. Windom changeable Lubin erstwhile she stopped astatine a halt sign.

Windom's lawyers person filed galore appeals

In trying to forestall the execution, Windom's attorneys argued chiefly that helium received incompetent ineligible practice during his 1992 trial.

In documents filed astatine the U.S. Supreme Court, they wrote that Windom's close to counsel nether the U.S. Constitution's Sixth Amendment was violated due to the fact that his proceedings lawyer was not qualified, and that his convictions should beryllium overturned.

"At the clip that proceedings counsel represented Mr. Windom, determination were nary peculiar qualifications imposed for superior attorneys," a papers filed Friday said. "The proceedings grounds indicates counsel was intelligibly not acting arsenic the Sixth Amendment envisioned, particularly successful superior cases. Trial counsel lacked the basal knowing and cognition of however to analyse analyzable intelligence wellness investigations oregon however to contiguous specified defenses astatine a proceedings and punishment signifier successful a superior trial. Under the evolved standards today, the rules successful spot present would person prevented this injustice."

But the authorities Attorney General's Office urged the U.S. Supreme Court to contradict the entreaty and pointed to different courts, including the Florida Supreme Court, that rejected Windom's arguments. The authorities said successful 1 papers that portion Windom's attorneys contended "his proceedings counsel was unqualified to grip a superior case, the information is that his ineffective assistance assertion was denied by some authorities courts and the national territory and appellate courts."

Florida connected way for grounds fig of executions

DeSantis has signed a steady watercourse of decease warrants this year, with a 12th execution scheduled for Sept. 17. That lawsuit involves David Pittman, 63, who was convicted of sidesplitting 3 members of his estranged wife's household successful 1990 successful Polk County.

The erstwhile grounds for executions successful the modern epoch was 8 successful 1984 and 2014. The modern epoch represents the clip since the decease punishment was reinstated successful 1976, aft a 1972 U.S. Supreme Court ruling halted it.

Inmates who person been executed this twelvemonth were Kayle Bates connected Aug. 19, Edward Zakrzewski connected July 31, Michael Bell connected July 15, Thomas Gudinas connected June 24, Anthony Wainwright connected June 10, Glen Rogers connected May 15, Jeffrey Hutchinson connected May 1, Michael Tanzi connected April 8, Edward James connected March 20 and James Ford connected Feb. 13.

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