David Fischer, Associated Press
STARKE, Fla. (AP) — A Florida prisoner, James Robertson, 63, was executed on Tuesday, nearly 18 years after he killed his cellmate, Frank Hart, in 2008. Robertson had pleaded guilty to first-degree murder and waived all appeals, stating he committed the act to avoid living out his life in prison. He declined to offer any last words before receiving a three-drug injection and was pronounced dead approximately 10 minutes later.
This execution marks Florida's 17th of the year and follows the recent execution of Christa Pike in Tennessee, which raised concerns about lethal injection procedures. Jordan Kirkland, a spokesperson for the Florida Department of Corrections, stated that Florida's lethal injection process is sound and aims to be humane and dignified.
Robertson's victim, Hart, was killed just eight days before his scheduled release. Hart's daughter, Rebecca Hart, expressed her grief, emphasizing the impact of her father's violent death on their family.
Robertson had been in prison since 1980 for burglary and assault, with additional convictions for escape and battery while incarcerated. Hart had been imprisoned since 2003 for sexual battery.
On the same day as Robertson's execution, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis withdrew a death warrant for another inmate, William Lee Thompson, without providing a reason. Thompson, 74, remains on death row, and his attorneys have requested a transfer to a medical facility due to his health issues.
This year, DeSantis has overseen 19 executions, the highest number for a Florida governor in a single year since the death penalty was reinstated in 1976. The governor has stated that his goal is to bring justice to victims' families who have waited for death sentences to be carried out.
Upcoming executions include William Reaves, scheduled for October 20, and Jesse Guardado, scheduled for November 5. Reaves was convicted of killing a deputy in 1986, while Guardado was convicted of robbery and murder in 2004.
In total, 47 people were executed in the U.S. in 2025, with Florida accounting for more than half of the 31 executions so far this year. In July, Florida executed two prisoners in one day, the first state to do so in nearly a decade.