A 74-year-old Florida man, Dusty Ray Spencer, was executed by lethal injection on Thursday for the 1992 fatal stabbing of his wife, Karen Spencer. He was pronounced dead at 6:10 p.m. at Florida State Prison near Starke, becoming the oldest inmate executed in Florida's modern history.

Spencer's last words were, "Sorry, sorry to the family. Into thy hands I commit my spirit and my soul. I’m on my way, Lord. I’m on my way. Amen." Following a few minutes of labored breathing, he ceased all movement and was pronounced dead after being checked by a medic.

Spencer was convicted in November 1992 of first-degree murder. According to Florida Department of Corrections records dating back to 1924, the previous oldest inmates executed by the state were both 72. Samuel Lee Smithers was executed on Oct. 14, 2025, for killings in 1996, and R. Charlie Gifford was executed on Feb. 21, 1951, for a 1950 shooting death.

The execution was the ninth in Florida this year. In 2025, Florida executed 19 individuals, setting a record for the most executions in a single year in the state. Before 2025, Florida's record since the death penalty was restored in 1976 was eight executions, recorded in 1984 and 2014. Last year, Florida executed more people than any other state.

Across the United States in 2025, 47 people were executed. Nationally, the oldest person executed in modern times was Walter Leroy Moody Jr., 83, who was put to death in Alabama in 2018 for sending mail bombs that killed a federal judge and a Black civil rights attorney.

Spencer's arrest occurred in December 1991 after he choked and threatened to kill his wife. While in jail, he called her and warned her he would finish what he started. On Jan. 18, 1992, Spencer beat his wife’s teenage son with a clothes iron when the boy intervened in an attack on his mother. About a week later, the teen witnessed Spencer hitting his mother with a brick. The teen attempted to shoot Spencer with a rifle, but the gun misfired. Spencer then threatened the boy with a knife, prompting the boy to flee for help. Police arrived to find Karen Spencer dead with multiple stab wounds to the chest.

Spencer was initially sentenced to death in 1992 for first-degree murder, attempted first-degree murder, aggravated assault, and aggravated battery. Two years later, the Florida Supreme Court ordered a new sentencing, and Spencer was resentenced to death the following year. Subsequent appeals were denied. Last week, the state Supreme Court rejected Spencer’s appeals, and the U.S. Supreme Court denied a final appeal on Thursday.

Another 74-year-old Florida inmate, Dennis Sochor, is scheduled for execution on July 14 for a killing that occurred on New Year's Day in 1982.