Dusty Ray Spencer, a 74-year-old Florida man, was executed on Thursday for the 1992 fatal stabbing of his wife, Karen Spencer, making him the oldest inmate in modern state history to be put to death.
Spencer was pronounced dead at 6:10 p.m. at Florida State Prison near Starke, following a three-drug injection. His final 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.” After labored breathing, he ceased 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 Correction 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 1996 killings, and R. Charlie Gifford was executed on Feb. 21, 1951, for the 1950 shooting death of state Rep. Charles Schuh Jr.
The execution marks the ninth in Florida this year. In 2025, Florida executed 19 people, setting a record for the most executions in a single year in the state. Florida executed more people than any other state in 2025, with 47 people executed nationwide.
Spencer's conviction stemmed from events in late 1991 and early 1992. He was arrested in December 1991 after choking and threatening to kill his wife. While in jail, he called her and warned he would finish what he started upon his release.
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 boy witnessed Spencer hitting his mother in the head 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. The Florida Supreme Court ordered a new sentencing two years later due to mishandling of aggravating and mitigating circumstances by the trial court. Spencer was resentenced to death the following year, and subsequent appeals were denied. Last week, the state Supreme Court rejected Spencer's appeals, and the U.S. Supreme Court rejected a final appeal on Thursday.
Another 74-year-old Florida inmate, Dennis Sochor, is scheduled for execution on July 14 for a 1982 killing. The oldest person executed in modern U.S. times was Walter Leroy Moody Jr., 83, executed in Alabama in 2018 for sending mail bombs.