TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) — A man nicknamed the “Deacon of Death” was executed Tuesday evening, nearly 30 years after committing two murders in Plant City.
Samuel Smithers, 72, was a church deacon when he murdered Christie Cowan and Denise Roach in 1996.
Investigators said he paid both women for sex, then killed them and dumped their bodies in a pond in Plant City.
Smithers was pronounced dead at 6:15 p.m. following a lethal injection. When prompted for any final words, he responded with “no sir,” as reported by Alex Lanfranconi, the spokesperson for Gov. Ron DeSantis.
Craig Latimer, presently the Hillsborough County Supervisor of Elections, was a lieutenant with the Sheriff’s Office during the time of the murders and contributed to the investigation.
Reflecting on the case, Latimer said, “How do you define a serial killer? We have two victims here, both killed by this individual within a span of 10 days.”
Smithers was sentenced to death in 1999 and has remained on death row ever since.
His execution marks Florida’s 14th of the year, the most in state history.
“Florida is executing individuals at an unprecedented rate, the highest in both state and national history,” noted Grace Hanna, an advocate with Floridians for Alternatives to the Death Penalty.
On Tuesday, the group delivered a petition with thousands of signatures to the governor, urging a major overhaul of the state’s death penalty system.
“The last comprehensive study found Florida’s death penalty costs taxpayers $51 million more per year than life in prison,” Hanna said.
The group also held vigils across Florida, including in the Tampa Bay area, as they do with all executions in the state.
“Christie Cowan’s father, one of the victim’s parents, has consistently opposed the execution,” Hanna shared. “Even in his 80s, he believes this won’t bring closure. These crimes were horrific, and I don’t excuse them. We must acknowledge the victims respectfully, but further killing isn’t the solution.”
Two more executions are scheduled in Florida before the end of the year.
