A Florida man who was found guilty of murdering his girlfriend, her mother, and a man he claimed owed him money over 30 years ago was executed on Thursday, bringing the total number of executions in the Sunshine State to 11 this year.
Curtis Windom, aged 59, was administered a lethal injection at 6:17 p.m. at Florida State Prison near Starke on Thursday, as reported by The Associated Press. He was convicted for the murders on November 7, 1992, of his girlfriend Valerie Davis, her mother Mary Lubin, and Johnnie Lee, whom he alleged owed him $2,000.
According to The AP, Windom’s face was covered with a sheet when the curtain to the death chamber was lifted shortly before the injection commenced. Upon receiving the drugs, he took deep breaths, and his legs twitched several times until he ceased moving.
Davis’ sister Kemene Hunter wore a T-shirt to a news conference following the execution that read, “Justice for her, healing for me.”
Curtis Windom was put to death for the killings of his girlfriend, her mother and a man he claimed owed him $2,000. (AP)
Davis was the mother of one of Windom’s children, who had sought to stop her father’s execution.
“Forgiveness comes with time, and 33 years is a long time,” Curtisia Windom said in a statement. “I, myself, have forgiven my father.”
Relatives and friends of the three murder victims released a joint statement expressing that they continued to love and care for Windom, despite Florida officials informing them that nothing could be done to halt the execution they tried to prevent.
“33 years ago, Curtis Windom claimed the lives of our mother Valerie Davis, grandmother Mary Lubin, and dear family friend Johnny Lee,” the statement read. “Whether the events of that day made us the surviving victims of a violent crime, the relatives of a person facing execution, or both, we have all lived our lives wearing a label that the state of Florida decided should define and divide us. We haven’t allowed that to happen, though. We have continued to love and care for each other, teaching our children that there is no use in punishing the many for the acts of the few.”
“Most of all, we have continued to love and care for Curtis,” the statement continued. “We have celebrated graduations and weddings over the phone. We have brought his grandchildren to visit him at Florida State Prison. We have built connections despite the visitation glass and cell bars. We have forgiven him.”
The statement added that they “will continue to reject the labels that we were given.”
“We are heartbroken that the State of Florida didn’t listen to our pleas,” the statement said. “And we are committed to continuing to tell our story.”
Relatives and friends of the three murder victims said they still loved and cared for Curtis Windom. (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki, File)
Windom and his lawyers filed multiple appeals, arguing that he was represented by an incompetent lawyer when presenting evidence of mental health struggles.
Windom’s final appeal was rejected by the U.S. Supreme Court on Wednesday.
“Forgiveness and healing do not come from a lethal injection in the death chamber. They come from the families’ decades of conversations, visits, and phone calls with Curtis, where he demonstrated remorse and redemption,” Floridians for Alternatives to the Death Penalty said in a statement. “They come from Curtis building new relationships with the people he has so deeply hurt. They come from showing a new generation of Windoms that there is a hope for a less violent future. His execution tonight stopped that healing in its tracks, and replaced it with new pain.”
“Governor DeSantis does not speak for all victims’ families,” the group added. “Tonight’s execution wasn’t about justice. It was about flexing political muscle.”
Windom’s execution extends Florida’s record this year following numerous death warrants signed by Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis. The state’s 12th execution this year is set for Sept. 17.
The Sunshine State has executed more people this year than any other state, with Texas and South Carolina tied for the second-most with four each. Across the U.S., 30 people have been executed so far in 2025.
