Florida was preparing Tuesday to execute Dennis Sochor, a 74-year-old convicted murderer, who would become one of the oldest inmates ever executed in the state's modern history. Sochor's scheduled lethal injection at 6 p.m. at Florida State Prison near Starke follows the recent execution of another 74-year-old inmate and comes as the state prepares to execute an 80-year-old prisoner later this month.
These cases highlight the growing age of death row populations nationwide and Florida's prominent role in capital punishment. The state has already carried out nine executions this year, more than all other states combined.
Sochor was convicted of the Jan. 1, 1982, murder of Patricia Gifford. According to court records, Gifford, 18, met Sochor and his brother at a New Year's Eve party. After a friend became ill, Gifford left with Sochor and his brother, but instead of going for breakfast, Sochor drove to a secluded area and attacked Gifford when she refused his sexual advances. Sochor's brother later told police that Dennis Sochor was responsible for Gifford's disappearance, and Sochor confessed on tape to choking Gifford and disposing of her body, which was never recovered. A jury found Sochor guilty of first-degree murder and kidnapping in 1987.
Recent appeals filed by Sochor's attorneys argued that the state failed to disclose a letter sent to Sochor's brother from a detective seeking information about Gifford's body, violating his right to a fair trial. They also raised concerns about the effectiveness of the execution drugs. The state Supreme Court denied Sochor's appeals last week, and a final appeal was pending before the U.S. Supreme Court.
According to Department of Corrections records, the oldest inmates previously executed by Florida were both 72: Samuel Lee Smithers in October 2025 for the 1996 killings of two women, and R. Charlie Gifford in February 1951 for a 1950 shooting.
Nationwide, the oldest inmate executed in modern times was Walter Leroy Moody Jr., 83, who was put to death in Alabama in 2018 for a series of mail bombings in 1989. A total of 16 executions have been carried out in the U.S. this year, with Florida accounting for more than half of them so far.