Florida’s Death Penalty

THANK YOU FOR JOINING US. ONE YEAR AFTER FLORIDA SET A MODERN STATE RECORD FOR CAPITAL PUNISHMENT. THE STATE IS ONCE AGAIN LEADING THE NATION WHEN IT COMES TO EXECUTIONS. AND FOR THE FIRST TIME IN 60 YEARS, THE GOVERNOR HAS SCHEDULED 2 EXECUTIONS ON THE SAME DAY THIS WEEK. DENNIS SO SHORT DIED BY LETHAL INJECTION. HE SPENT MORE THAN 40 YEARS ON DEATH ROW AFTER BEING CONVICTED IN THE MURDER OF 18 YEAR-OLD PATRICIA GIFFORD. IN 1982, AT 74 YEARS OLD. SO TOUR BECAME THE OLDEST INMATE TO BE EXECUTED IN STATE HISTORY. HIS DEATH CAME JUST WEEKS FOLLOWING THE EXECUTION OF DUSTY RACE. SPENCER. ALSO, 74 CONVICTED OF STABBING HIS WIFE TO DEATH. THE RAPID PACE OF EXECUTIONS COMES AT A TIME WHEN TO MORE DEATH WARRANTS WERE SIGNED BY GOVERNOR RON DESANTIS FOR MORE ON THE RISE IN STATE EXECUTIONS. I AM JOINED BY WGCU HOST AND REPORTER JOHN DAVIS. JOHN, WHAT IS GOING ON WITH THE PRACTICE OF INCREASING EXECUTIONS IN THE STATE OF FLORIDA AND WHY IS THIS GAINING SO MUCH ATTENTION? >> WELL, I THINK IT'S GETTING ATTENTION BECAUSE FLORIDA HAS BEEN A BIT OF AN OUTLIER IN RECENT YEARS WHEN IT COMES TO THE PACE OF EXECUTIONS, FLORIDA WAS RESPONSIBLE FOR 40% OF ALL EXECUTIONS THAT TOOK PLACE IN THE COUNTRY LAST YEAR. GOVERNOR RON DESANTIS SIGNED A RECORD 19 DEATH WARRANTS THAT YEAR THAT SHATTERED THE STATE'S PREVIOUS RECORD OF 11 EXECUTIONS IN ONE YEAR THAT WAS SET BACK IN 1936. BUT FOR CONTEXT, WHEN HE FIRST CAME INTO OFFICE, HIS FIRST YEAR HE SIGNED TO DEATH WARRANTS. AND THEN THE SUBSEQUENT 3 YEARS HE SIGNED 0 DEATH WARRANT OF ANY OF THOSE YEARS. AND THEN ONE DEATH WARRANT IN 2022. 6 2023, 8 IN 2024. AND THEN THAT EXPLODED INTO THE RECORD 19 LAST YEAR. AND IT LOOKS LIKE THIS YEAR WE MIGHT BE ON PACE TO MEET OR EXCEED THAT NUMBER. YOU CAN'T WITH THE DEATH OF A SOLDIER. HIS EXECUTION MARKS THE 10TH IN FLORIDA AND THERE'S AT LEAST 2 MORE DEATH WARRANTS THAT HAVE BEEN SIGNED. DESANTIS SIGNED THE DEATH WARRANT FOR JAMES DUCKETT. NOW THIS WAS A FORMER POLICE OFFICER WHO HAD BEEN CONVICTED OF KILLING AN 11 YEAR-OLD GIRL BACK IN 1987, HE'D BEEN SET TO BE EXECUTED ON MARCH 31ST, BUT HIS EXECUTION WAS STAYED BECAUSE HE HAD REQUESTED NEW DNA TESTING THAT HE SAID WOULD EXONERATE HIM. HE'S LONG PROCLAIMED HIS INNOCENCE. THAT DNA TEST WAS THOSE TEST RESULTS WERE INCONCLUSIVE. SO NOW HIS EXECUTION IS SET TO HAPPEN ON JULY. 28TH. AND THAT'S THE SAME DAY. FLORIDA IS ALREADY SCHEDULED TO EXECUTE DOMINIC. THE ATTORNEY, THIS IS THE 80 YEAR-OLD MAN AND PEOPLE. IF HE IS EXECUTED, WILL BECOME THE OLDEST PERSON EXECUTED IN THE STATE OF FLORIDA. AND THAT'S KIDS GOING TO BE ANOTHER MILESTONE ON JUST, YOU KNOW, THE AGE OF THE PEOPLE BEING EXECUTED. BUT THIS WILL MARK THE FIRST TIME IN FLORIDA RECORDED HISTORY THAT WE'VE CARRIED OUT 2 EXECUTIONS IN THE SAME DAY. >> I'M CURIOUS, HOW DOES THIS INCREASED PACE OF EXECUTIONS IN THE STATE OF FLORIDA STACK UP WITH THE BROADER PUBLIC OPINION ON THE DEATH IT WELL, IT'S AN INVERSE RELATIONSHIP. >> ACCORDING TO GALLUP POLLING, I MEAN, THEY'VE BEEN LOOKING AT PUBLIC OPINION ON THIS FOR DECADES, SUPPORT FOR THE DEATH PENALTY IN THE U.S. REACHED ITS PEAK AT 80% BACK IN 1984. BUT IF YOU LOOK AT THE DATA, IT'S BEEN STEADILY DECLINING. SINCE THEN LAST YEAR NATIONWIDE, THERE ARE STILL A SLIM MAJORITY OF AMERICANS SUPPORTED THE DEATH PENALTY ABOUT 52%. BUT IF YOU BREAK THAT DOWN BY DEMOGRAPHICS, THAT SUPPORT GOES DOWN, EVEN GLASS, FOR INSTANCE, THE GALLUP POLLS FIND THAT A MAJORITY OF AMERICANS, 55 AND UNDER DO NOT SUPPORT THE DEATH PENALTY. YOU KNOW, AND THIS ALSO COINCIDES WITH A NUMBER OF FACTORS LIKE THE GROWING NUMBER OF DEATH ROW EXONERATIONS SINCE THE 1970'S MORE THAN 200 PEOPLE ON DEATH ROW HAVE LATER BEEN EXONERATED AND FOUND EVIDENCE AND FOUND IN A SENSE. AND FLORIDA LEADS THE PACK THERE, FLORIDA. HE'S EXONERATED 30 DEATH ROW INMATES WHO WERE FOUND LATER TO BE INNOCENT. THAT'S MORE THAN ANY OTHER STATE. >> HOW HAS THE GOVERNOR'S INCREASED PACE AT THIS TIME REALLY IGNITED DEBATE ABOUT EXECUTING OLDER INMATES FOR CONTACT. FLORIDA, EXECUTED 70 YEAR-OLD DUSTY RACE. SPENCER. >> FOR KILLING HIS WIFE IN 1992. THAT HAPPENED IN LATE JUNE. >> HE WAS THE OLDEST EXECUTED FLORIDA INMATE AT THAT TIME UNTIL DENNIS SOLDIER JUST ON WEDNESDAY, WHO WAS ALSO 74. BUT HE WAS JUST DAYS OLD OR IN SPENCER. AND NOW WITH THE IMPENDING EXECUTION OF DOMINIC, A KNEE ON JULY 28TH. HE'S 80 YEARS OLD. SO HE'LL BECOME THE OLDEST EXECUTED FLORIDA PRISONER. AND THERE ARE A FEW OTHERS OLDER COACH ONI WHO ARE STILL ON DEATH ROW IN FLORIDA. BUT IT'S KIND OF IGNITED DEBATE THAT SORT OF GOES BEYOND WHETHER OR NOT YOU SUPPORT THE DEATH PENALTY BECAUSE IT'S ABOUT THE EFFICACY OF EXECUTING SOMEONE WHO IS ELDERLY LIKE OPPONENTS SAY WITH AN ELDERLY AND MAKE THE PUNISHMENT NO LONGER SERVES ITS ORIGINAL PURPOSE. AN EXECUTION DECADES AFTER THE CRIME IS UNLIKELY TO DETER FUTURE OFFENDERS MORE EFFECTIVELY THAN LIFE IMPRISONMENT WOULD SOME ARGUE THAT DECADES OF INCARCERATION HAVE ALREADY IMPOSED SEVERE PUNISHMENT DIMINISHING THERE, RETRIBUTIVE VALUE OF AN EXECUTION AGE AND DECLINING HEALTH CAN ALSO BE A FACTOR. IF OLDER PEOPLE WHO ARE SUFFERING FROM DEMENTIA OR COGNITIVE DECLINE, THEY THAT MIGHT NO LONGER REFLECT SOCIETY'S INTEREST IN PUNISHING THE PERSON WHO COMMITTED THE CRIME. DECADES LATER. NOW, CONVERSELY, SUPPORTERS OF THIS AND WHO DON'T MIND ELDERLY INMATES BEING EXECUTED SAY, YOU KNOW, THE SERIOUSNESS OF THE CRIME DOES NOT DECLINE WITH THE PASSAGE OF TIME AND VICTIMS. FAMILIES HAVE OFTEN WAITED AN ANGUISHED FOR DECADES, WAITING FURTHER SENTENCE IS TO BE CARRIED OUT, WAITING FOR JUSTICE AND THEY FROM THE CONSTITUTIONALLY REQUIRED APPEALS PROCESS. SO THEY'RE INITIATED BY THE INMATES, NOT BY THE STATES IN ACTION AND EXEMPTING PEOPLE BECAUSE THEY HAVE REACHED AN ADVANCED AGE, COULD CREATE AN INCENTIVE TO PROLONG LEGAL PROCEEDINGS. YOU KNOW, JUST TRY TO KEEP THE GUY ALIVE AS LONG AS YOU CAN. AND EVERY REACHES A CERTAIN AGE THEY WANT TO EXECUTE HIM. THAT BEING SAID. I THINK THIS DOES TAKE AN INTERESTING TOLD IT'S SOMETHING THAT'S NOT REALLY TALKED ABOUT. AND THIS IS ASIDE FROM WHETHER OR NOT SOMEONE SUPPORTS OR OPPOSES THE DEATH PENALTY. AND THAT QUESTION IS, DOES THE RAPID PACE OF EXECUTIONS WERE EXPERIENCING NOW DESENSITIZE US TO THE CONCEPT OF STATE-SANCTIONED KILLING. THIS IS SOMETHING THAT'S JUST BECOME NORMAL. >> ALL RIGHT. WELL, DON DAVIS, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THE LATEST ON THIS. THANKS.