Three death row inmates were executed by lethal injection across three U.S. states on Thursday, marking the second time in recent months that multiple states carried out executions on the same day.
In Florida, 64-year-old Jesse Guardado was pronounced dead at 6:13 p.m. local time at a state prison in Starke. Guardado had pleaded guilty to fatally stabbing 75-year-old Jackie Malone in her home in 2004 to steal her jewelry and cash. The victim had previously assisted Guardado with employment and housing.
About an hour later, at 6:10 p.m. local time, Alabama executed 54-year-old Michael Taylor. Taylor was convicted in the 1991 beating death of an elderly couple, Ivan and Lucille Moore, during a home robbery. His attorneys had sought to commute his sentence, citing his age and immaturity at the time of the crime, but Governor Kay Ivey declined, calling his actions "reprehensible."
Earlier, Indiana executed 50-year-old Jeffrey Weisheit by lethal injection in Michigan City. Weisheit had killed his partner's two children, eight-year-old Alyssa Lynch and five-year-old Caleb Lynch, by setting fire to their home in Evansville, Indiana, in 2010. The children's bodies were found restrained with duct tape.
The executions occurred as Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, who leaves office in January, has overseen an aggressive use of the death penalty. His state has accounted for more than half of the 35 executions nationwide this year. This recent day of multiple executions follows a similar occurrence in August and is the first time since 2010 that three states have executed inmates on the same day.
In Florida, Guardado's last words were an apology to the victim's family and his own. Following the administration of lethal drugs, witnesses observed him breathing heavily, sputtering, and twitching before he was pronounced dead.
Alabama's Governor Ivey contrasted her state's stance on capital punishment with California Governor Gavin Newsom, who recently announced his intention to commute all death sentences in his state, stating that "state-sanctioned killing is incompatible with California's values."
In Indiana, Weisheit had no final words. State officials described the execution as delivering "long-awaited justice" for the child victims. Weisheit's attorneys had expressed hope for clemency, but Governor Mike Braun denied the request.
The families of the victims expressed a desire for closure, with some lamenting the decades-long wait for the death sentences to be carried out, citing the prolonged uncertainty and emotional toll.