Florida executed death row inmate Richard Knight on Thursday, more than 25 years after he was convicted of murdering a pregnant woman and her 4-year-old daughter, state corrections officials said.
Knight, 47, was pronounced dead by lethal injection at 6:13 p.m. EST at Florida State Prison in Raiford, officials said.
He was sentenced to death in 2007 on two counts of first-degree premeditated murder for the June 27, 2000, killings of Odessia Stephens and her daughter, Hanessia Mullings, in Coral Springs.
Prosecutors said Stephens was the pregnant girlfriend of Knight’s cousin and had asked him to move out of the home they shared. Investigators said Knight responded by strangling Stephens and stabbing her multiple times, then also strangling and stabbing her young daughter.
The execution marked Florida’s seventh this year, with another scheduled for June 2 for convicted murderer Andrew Lukehart.
Knight’s legal team had sought a last-minute stay, which was denied by the Florida Supreme Court. The request cited concerns raised after a recent execution in another state that involved difficulties locating a suitable vein for lethal injection, but the appeal was rejected.
Following the execution, an advocacy group opposed to the death penalty criticized the decision, citing concerns about the case record, execution procedures, and broader constitutional issues surrounding capital punishment in Florida.
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