Daniel Owen Conahan Jr., 72, was executed by lethal injection on Thursday, September 10, 2026, at Florida State Prison near Starke, for the 1996 kidnapping and strangulation of Richard Allen Montgomery. Conahan's death marked the 15th execution in Florida this year.
His execution followed a three-drug lethal injection, which began at 6:01 p.m. Conahan, who had no final statement, was pronounced dead at 6:12 p.m. Officials stated 11 victim family members attended the execution.
Conahan was convicted of killing Montgomery, whose mutilated body was discovered in a wooded area of Charlotte County. Over a three-year period, authorities found the remains of at least six people in the same locale, which became known as the "Hog Trail Murders" due to its swampy, wooded nature. The first body was found by hunters in February 1994, with at least five more discovered in the subsequent three years. Investigators believe the killer targeted homeless men, and Montgomery was likely killed within 24 hours of his discovery.
Conahan was arrested in July 1996 after a man serving time for stealing Conahan's car claimed Conahan had offered him money to pose for nude photos and later threatened him with a knife. Detectives found similarities to another case where a victim reported a man offering cash for nude photos had tied him to a tree and attempted to strangle him. Conahan was subsequently charged with attempted murder and, months later, with Montgomery's murder.
He waived his right to a jury trial and was convicted of murder and kidnapping by a judge in August 1999. While Conahan was never charged in the other deaths, a sheriff's office report concluded that the victims found within a 10-mile radius were likely killed by the same individual. In 2007, eight bodies were discovered in Fort Myers, with four identified victims being homeless and showing similar injuries to those found in Charlotte County. Authorities publicly identified Conahan as a person of interest in these cases, but he was not charged.
Conahan argued the evidence against him in Montgomery's death was circumstantial. The state of Florida has carried out 15 executions this year, the most of any state. Another execution is scheduled for September 29, for Curtis Wilkie Beasley, convicted of a 1995 murder. All Florida executions utilize a three-drug lethal injection protocol.