A man from Florida is set to face execution next month following his conviction for the murder of his cousin’s girlfriend and her young daughter. Governor Ron DeSantis approved the death warrant on Wednesday.
Richard Knight, aged 47, is scheduled for lethal injection at Florida State Prison in Starke on May 21, as part of a succession of death warrants recently authorized by the governor.
Knight was found guilty of the murders of Odessia Stephens and her 4-year-old daughter, Hanessia Mullings, which took place in 2000, as reported by WFLA.
According to prosecutors, the tragic events unfolded after an argument between Knight and Stephens on the night of the incident.
In court documents, the murders were described as “heinous, atrocious, and cruel,” the news outlet noted.
Stephens and her daughter had retired to bed when Knight armed himself with knives from the kitchen, entered their bedroom, and assaulted the woman while her daughter was beside her.
Investigators said Knight stabbed Stephens 21 times, with most of the injuries to her neck. She also sustained stab wounds to her chin, back and chest.
Stephens also suffered injuries indicating she had been strangled and attempted to fight back, and investigators said images from the crime showed a “bloody struggle.”
Knight then strangled and stabbed the child multiple times, causing stab wounds to her upper chest, neck and hand.
The details were presented by prosecutors during trial proceedings, according to court records.
A judge sentenced Knight to death in 2007 after a jury unanimously recommended the death sentence for his first-degree murder convictions.
Efforts by Knight’s attorneys to appeal the case have so far been unsuccessful.
Court records show his legal team has challenged the conviction and sentence in multiple appeals, which have been denied to date.
Fox News Digital has reached out to Knight’s legal team for comment.
DeSantis continues to accelerate the number of death warrants signed since the start of last year.
In 2025, 19 people were put to death in Florida, setting a record for the most executions in one year in the Sunshine State.
Before last year, Florida’s record for executions in a year since the death penalty was restored in 1976 was eight in 1984 and 2014.
Advocacy groups, including the Equal Justice Initiative, have raised concerns about fairness and due process in death penalty cases.
Florida also executed more people last year than any other state, with Alabama, Texas and South Carolina tied for the second-most with five each.
Across the US, 47 people were executed in 2025.
This year, Florida has already executed five people, and another is scheduled for April 30, when James Hitchcock, 70, is scheduled to be put to death for the rape and murder of his 13-year-old step-niece.
The last execution was carried out on Tuesday, when Chadwick Willacy, 58, was put to death for murdering his elderly neighbor in Palm Bay by setting the victim on fire.
