Victor Tony Jones, 64, is scheduled to die Sept. 30, which would be the state’s 13th execution scheduled for this year.
In Tallahassee, Florida, authorities are preparing to execute a man convicted of murdering a married couple during a robbery. Governor Ron DeSantis, a Republican, has signed the death warrant for Victor Tony Jones, marking a record year for executions in Florida since the U.S. Supreme Court reinstated the death penalty nearly half a century ago.
Jones, aged 64, is scheduled to face execution on September 30, which will be Florida’s 13th execution slated for this year. In addition to Jones, another individual named David Pittman is also set for execution in the upcoming month, following the warrant’s approval by Governor DeSantis last Friday.
The most executions Florida has conducted in a single year, prior to this, was eight in 2014. With 11 executions already carried out, Florida surpasses all other states, with Texas and South Carolina each having executed four individuals in the same period.
This year, the United States has executed a total of 30 people, surpassing last year’s figure of 25. The last time the nation experienced more executions in a year was in 2014, with a total of 35 individuals put to death.
Jones was convicted and sentenced to death in 1993 on two counts of first-degree murder. Jurors also found him guilty of two counts of armed robbery.
In December 1990, Jones, who recently started working at a business owned by Matilda and Jacob Nestor in Miami-Dade, fatally stabbed the couple. Before succumbing to his injuries, Jacob Nestor managed to retreat to an office where he retrieved a .22 caliber pistol and shot at Jones, hitting him once in the forehead.
Police found Jones wounded at the scene with the Nestors’ money and personal property in his pockets.
The Florida Supreme Court is scheduled to hear an appeal. An appeal will also likely be filed with the U.S. Supreme Court.
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