Florida man executed for fatal stabbing of woman and her 4-year-old daughter
Summary
Richard Knight, a Florida man convicted of stabbing to death his cousin’s girlfriend and her 4-year-old daughter in 2002, was executed by lethal injection on Thursday. This marked the seventh execution in Florida this year, continuing a recent increase in the state’s death penalty cases.Key Facts
- Richard Knight, 47, was executed at Florida State Prison after being convicted of two first-degree murders.
- The victims were Odessia Stephens and her 4-year-old daughter, Hanessia Mullings.
- The killings happened in June 2002 after a dispute about Knight living in the family home.
- Knight’s final statement thanked “Yahweh, who is the most high.”
- Florida has carried out seven executions so far in 2026, continuing a record pace set in 2025 under Governor Ron DeSantis.
- Florida leads the U.S. in executions this year, with other states like Alabama, South Carolina, and Texas conducting fewer.
- Knight’s appeals were denied by the Florida Supreme Court, and he had a pending appeal with the U.S. Supreme Court.
- All executions in Florida use a three-drug lethal injection method.
Read the Full Article
This is a fact-based summary from The Actual News. Click below to read the complete story directly from the original source.