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yesterday

Florida Executes David Pittman, Setting State Record for 12th Execution in 2025

The lethal injection followed the U.S. Supreme Court’s rejection of his final appeal over intellectual disability under a state rule that bars retroactive claims.

FILE - Clouds hover over the entrance of the Florida State Prison in Starke, Fla., Aug. 3, 2023. (AP Photo/Curt Anderson, file)
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Overview

  • Pittman, 63, was pronounced dead at 6:12 p.m. ET following a three-drug injection at Florida State Prison near Starke.
  • He was sentenced to death in 1991 for killing Clarence and Barbara Knowles and their daughter Bonnie in Mulberry, and was also convicted of arson and grand theft.
  • The U.S. Supreme Court denied his last appeal on Tuesday after Florida courts found his intellectual-disability claim could not be raised retroactively.
  • Gov. Ron DeSantis has authorized more executions this year than any predecessor, with additional executions scheduled for Victor Tony Jones on Sept. 30 and Samuel Lee Smithers on Oct. 14.
  • Pittman’s execution was Florida’s 12th of the year and the nation’s 31st in 2025, and a governor’s spokesperson said his final words were, “I am innocent. I didn’t kill anybody.”