Dusty Ray Spencer, 74, is scheduled to be executed by lethal injection Thursday evening in Florida for the 1992 stabbing death of his wife, Karen. If carried out, this would be Florida’s ninth execution this year, following a record 19 executions in 2025. Republican Governor Ron DeSantis oversaw more executions in a single year in 2025 than any previous Florida governor since the death penalty was reinstated in 1976.

Spencer was arrested in December 1991 after allegedly choking and threatening to kill his wife. While he was in jail, he reportedly called her and stated he would "finish what he started" upon his release. The court records indicate that on January 18, 1992, Spencer assaulted his wife’s teenage son with a clothes iron when the boy intervened in an attack on his mother. Approximately one week later, the son found Spencer hitting Karen Spencer in the head with a brick outside their home.

According to officials, the teen attempted to use a rifle on Spencer, but the gun misfired. Spencer then threatened the teen with a knife, prompting the boy to flee for help. Police arriving at the scene discovered Karen Spencer deceased with multiple stab wounds to the chest.

Spencer was originally sentenced to death in 1992 after being convicted of first-degree murder, attempted first-degree murder, aggravated assault, and aggravated battery. The Florida Supreme Court ordered a new sentencing hearing in 1994 due to mishandling of aggravating and mitigating circumstances by the trial court. Spencer received a death sentence again in 1995, and subsequent appeals have been unsuccessful. The state Supreme Court rejected Spencer’s appeals last week. His attorneys had argued that his liver disease posed a heightened risk of pain and suffering during execution and contended that his advanced age constituted cruel and unusual punishment.

A final appeal remained pending before the U.S. Supreme Court.

Nationwide, 47 people were executed in the U.S. in 2025, with Florida leading the total. Alabama, South Carolina, and Texas each carried out five executions, tying for second place.

Another execution is scheduled in Florida for July 14. Dennis Sochor, 74, was convicted of killing a woman shortly after the start of 1982.