Man convicted of killing a woman and her 4-year-old daughter is executed in Florida

STARKE, Fla. (AP) — A Florida man convicted of fatally stabbing his cousin’s girlfriend and the couple’s 4-year-old daughter was put to death Thursday evening, becoming the seventh person executed by the state this year.

Richard Knight, 47, was pronounced dead at 6:13 p.m. following a three-drug injection at Florida State Prison near Starke. Knight was convicted of two counts of first-degree murder in the June 2002 killings of Odessia Stephens and her daughter, Hanessia Mullings.

The curtain of the death chamber went up promptly at the scheduled 6:00 p.m. execution time. Knight was already strapped down with his arms extended and an IV line in place.

Asked by the warden if he wished to make a last statement, Knight declared, “I want to give thanks to Yahweh, who is the most high.”

The execution began immediately after that. Knight closed his eyes and barely moved as the drugs began entering his system. After about 10 minutes, a medic was called into the room and the inmate was declared dead.

Florida’s seventh execution of the year followed a record 19 executions in the state in 2025. Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis oversaw more executions in a single year in 2025 than any other Florida governor since the death penalty was reinstated in 1976. The previous Florida record was eight executions carried out in 2014.

According to court records, Knight had been living in Coral Springs, near Fort Lauderdale, with his cousin, his cousin’s girlfriend and their daughter in 2000. Knight and Stephens frequently argued about Knight living there. One evening while Knight’s cousin was at work, Stephens told Knight he would have to move out the next morning. Knight became angry and stabbed Stephens multiple times and then attacked the young girl, the records show.

While being held at the Broward County Jail following his arrest, Knight confessed to another inmate that he had committed the killings, according to court records. The inmate testified against Knight during his trial.

On Thursday, the U.S. Supreme Court rejected a final appeal from Knight’s attorneys without comment.

A total of 47 people were executed in the U.S. in 2025. Florida led the way with a flurry of death warrants signed by DeSantis.

Earlier Thursday, the planned execution of Tennessee inmate Tony Carruthers was called off after officials quickly established the main IV line for a lethal injection but said they couldn’t find a suitable vein for a backup line as required. Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee announced the state would not try again for at least a year to execute Carruthers, who was convicted of murdering three people.

Attorney Maria DeLiberato said she saw her client Carruthers “wincing and groaning” during attempts to insert the IV line before the attempt was paused.

Florida, meanwhile, is preparing to hold another execution on June 2. Andrew Richard Lukehart, 53, was convicted of fatally beating of his girlfriend’s infant daughter in 1996.

All Florida executions are carried out by lethal injection using a sedative, a paralytic and a drug that stops the heart, according to the state Department of Corrections.

The Associated Press