Florida executed James Robertson, 63, on Tuesday at Florida State Prison after he was convicted of killing his cellmate, officials said. Robertson was pronounced dead about 10 minutes after receiving a three-drug lethal injection.
Reports said Robertson had stated that he killed his cellmate in hopes of receiving a death sentence. He declined to make a final statement; Fox News reported that he replied, "Nah, I’m straight," when asked for last words. The Guardian said the execution took place at a state prison in Raiford.
PBS and the Guardian described Robertson as Florida’s 17th execution this year. The execution was Florida’s first since Tennessee’s attempted execution of Christa Pike, which PBS said ended with Pike being taken to a hospital after two doses of pentobarbital.