Florida Sets Modern Record for Executions in 2024

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has signed a death warrant for Curtis Windom, convicted of killing three people and wounding another in 1992, with his execution scheduled for August 28. Windom’s execution would be the 11th in Florida this year, surpassing the previous modern-era record of eight executions, set in both 1984 and 2014. Two other executions are also scheduled: Edward Zakrzewski on July 31 for murdering his wife and children in 1994, and Kayle Barrington Bates on August 19 for a 1982 murder, with Zakrzewski's attorneys appealing to the U.S. Supreme Court. Windom’s victims included Johnnie Lee, murdered over a financial dispute, his girlfriend Valerie Davis, and her mother Mary Lubin. These latest actions highlight Florida's status as the state with the highest number of executions in 2024, outpacing Texas and South Carolina. The rapid pace of executions marks a significant period in Florida’s death penalty history under DeSantis.