Florida carried out the execution of one of its oldest inmates on Tuesday, a 74-year-old convicted murderer. Dennis Sochor was put to death at Florida State Prison near Starke after being convicted of killing Patricia Gifford in 1982. The execution marked the first of three older inmates scheduled for lethal injection in the state within a month.
Sochor was administered a three-drug injection and pronounced dead at 6:16 p.m. He expressed remorse to the Gifford family before his execution and thanked his loved ones for their support. The lethal drugs were administered at 6:03 p.m., and after a brief period of heavy breathing and stillness, Sochor was pronounced dead at 6:14 p.m.
The state of Florida has been carrying out a high number of executions this year, with 10 out of the 16 nationwide executions taking place in the state. The scheduling of the three consecutive executions of older inmates has raised questions, as the governor has significant discretion in setting execution dates in Florida.
Sochor’s crime involved the murder and kidnapping of Gifford in 1982. Despite appeals, including intervention requests to the U.S. Supreme Court, Sochor’s execution proceeded as planned. The state Supreme Court also denied his appeals, citing various legal grounds.
The recent execution of Sochor follows the lethal injection of another 74-year-old inmate last month, with an 80-year-old inmate scheduled for execution later this month. The aging death row population in the U.S. and the active death chamber in Florida have drawn attention to the state’s approach to capital punishment.