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Florida to Execute Mark Allen Geralds Tonight in 1989 Home-Invasion Killing

The execution comes during a record year for Florida's death penalty.

Overview

  • Geralds, 58, is scheduled to receive a lethal injection at 6 p.m. ET at Florida State Prison for the murder of Tressa Lynn Pettibone in Panama City Beach.
  • After a death warrant was signed last month, Geralds told a judge he would not pursue further appeals, and the court approved that decision.
  • Jurors convicted Geralds of first-degree murder based on evidence including pawned jewelry bearing the victim’s blood and plastic ties matching restraints used at the scene.
  • If carried out, the execution would be Florida’s 18th in 2025 and would bring the U.S. total to 45 for the year, the highest national count since 2010.
  • Florida has already surpassed its previous annual high of eight executions, with another execution set for Dec. 18 under a warrant signed by Gov. Ron DeSantis.