In Florida, USA, Louis Bernard Gaskin, aged 56, was executed on a Wednesday for the double murder he committed in 1989. A jury had unanimously recommended the death penalty, and he was pronounced dead at 6:15 p.m. local time after a lethal injection at the Florida State Prison in Raiford, located in the northern part of the state. The State Department of Prisons confirmed the completion of the sentence. This marked Florida’s second execution of the year, following a lengthy appeals process that included a submission to the United States Supreme Court on April 6, which was later dismissed.
The timing came six weeks after another inmate, 59-year-old Donald Dillbeck, was executed for two first degree murders, one committed by gunfire in 1979 and the other by stabbing in 1990. Earlier, a separate case involved the governor signing a death warrant for Darryl B. Barwick, with his execution planned to occur three weeks later. The sequence of events represented the quickest series of three executions in Florida since 2014. Florida has carried out 101 executions since the death penalty was reinstated in 1976, with a period of no executions between 2020 and 2022 under prior administrations.
Gaskin, who earned the nickname the “ninja killer” for wearing dark ninja attire during the crimes, was condemned for the deaths of Robert Sturmfels, 56, and Georgette Sturmfels, 55, at their home in Flagler County in the state’s northeast. Investigators found money, jewelry, and other items taken from the victims at Gaskin’s residence. He confessed to being the person responsible and indicated that the stolen goods were intended as Christmas gifts for his then girlfriend. The state’s highest court previously rejected a request to modify the death sentence on the grounds of partial unconstitutionality, noting that the jury’s recommendation was unanimous.
Since 2017, Florida law requires a unanimous jury verdict for the imposition of the death penalty, aligning with a broader U.S. Supreme Court standard that a simple majority verdict is insufficient. The Florida Supreme Court also addressed the retroactive application of the Hurst decision, deciding it could not be applied to Gaskin’s case. The state’s criminal justice system maintains that juries have the final say in capital punishment, with dozens of inmates currently awaiting execution in “execution cells.” Florida has seen a handful of death sentences carried out since 2019, reflecting ongoing state policy on capital punishment.
Historical context shows that, since the 1970s, a number of death row inmates across the United States have been exonerated or released, underscoring debates about wrongful convictions. Florida has reported the release of several inmates previously sentenced to death, including a notable share of cases where post-conviction reviews raised questions about the original verdicts. The state continues to grapple with the balancing act between public safety, justice for victims, and evolving standards in capital punishment policy. (Source: Florida Department of Corrections and state judiciary records).
Reports from local media indicate that the condemned individual received a final meal shortly before the procedure began. The meal was part of customary procedures in which inmates may request a last meal within a restricted budget. Official guidance notes that meals must be prepared locally and fall within a defined cost limit to avoid excess. (Source attribution: Florida Department of Corrections.)