Florida on Tuesday, October 28, carried out its 15th execution of the year, a record under governor Ron DeSantis, executing Norman Mearle Grim Jr., who was convicted of raping and murdering his neighbor.
Grim was put to death by a three-drug lethal injection at Florida state prison near Starke, according to a statement from the office of Republican governor.
Grim, 65, was convicted of sexual battery and first-degree murder in the death of Cynthia Campbell.
The victim was reported missing in July 1998, and her battered body was found in waters near the Pensacola Bay Bridge by a fisherman.
Prosecutors said Campbell had suffered multiple blunt-force injuries to her face and head that were consistent with being struck by a hammer, as well has 11 stab wounds in the chest.
An autopsy revealed seven of the stab wounds penetrated her heart.
Physical evidence including DNA tied Grim to her killing.
Since the US supreme court restored the death penalty in 1976, the highest previous annual total of Florida executions was eight in 2014.
Florida has executed more people than any other state this year, followed by Texas and Alabama with five each.
Two more executions are planned for next month in Florida under death warrants signed by DeSantis.
After a death warrant is signed and an execution date is set, inmates have a last chance to make appeals to the Florida supreme court and the US supreme court.
However, earlier this month, Grim chose to forgo all appeals.
Tuesday, October 28, Grim awoke at 6 a.m. and later had a meal of fried pork chops and mashed potatoes with a chocolate milkshake, according to department of corrections spokesman Ted Veerman.
The spokesman said Grim had no visitors and did not meet with a spiritual adviser as the execution hour loomed.
A total of 40 men have died by court-ordered execution so far this year in the United States, and at least 18 other people are scheduled to be put to death during the remainder of 2025 and next year.
Bryan Fredrick Jennings, 66, is scheduled for the state’s 16th execution on November 13.
He was convicted of raping and killing a 6-year-old girl in 1979 after entering through a window and abducting her from her central Florida home.
Richard Barry Randolph, 63, is set for Florida’s 17th execution on November 20. He was convicted of the 1988 rape and fatal beating of his former manager at a Florida convenience store.
Florida’s lethal injections are carried out with a sedative, a paralytic and a drug that stops the heart, according to the state department of corrections.
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