Florida executes Curtis Beasley, 77, for 1995 claw-hammer murder
Curtis Wilkie Beasley, 77, was executed by lethal injection in Florida on Tuesday for the 1995 hammer murder of Carolyn Monfort, the state's 16th execution this year.
Curtis Wilkie Beasley, 77, was put to death by lethal injection on Tuesday at Florida State Prison near Starke for the 1995 claw-hammer murder of Carolyn Monfort, becoming the 16th person executed in the state this year, the Associated Press reported.
Beasley was pronounced dead at 6:12 p.m. ET. He was convicted of first-degree murder, robbery and grand theft auto in the beating death of Monfort, 62, at her home in Dundee, south of Orlando, in August 1995, and sentenced to death.
The Florida Supreme Court rejected arguments that executing a man of his age suffering from cognitive decline would amount to cruel and unusual punishment, and the U.S. Supreme Court declined to intervene on Tuesday afternoon. Beasley is the seventh Florida prisoner over 70 to be executed this year.
His final words were: “I want to apologize for all the mistakes I made,” per the AP. The Florida Department of Corrections said his last meal was grilled cheese sandwiches and ice cream.
Beasley’s execution was the 29th in the United States this year. Florida’s pace under Governor Ron DeSantis is the nation’s busiest death chamber: of the 29 executions carried out by six states this year, Florida accounts for 16.
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