On Thursday evening, a man from Florida was executed for the brutal stabbing deaths of his cousin’s girlfriend and their young daughter. This marks the state’s seventh execution this year.
Richard Knight, aged 47, was declared dead at 6:13 p.m. after receiving a lethal injection of three drugs at Florida State Prison, located near Starke.
He was found guilty of committing first-degree murder in June 2002, responsible for the deaths of Odessia Stephens and her 4-year-old daughter, Hanessia Mullings.
At the scheduled execution time of 6 p.m., the curtain of the death chamber lifted to reveal Knight restrained on a gurney with IV lines already in place.
When prompted by the warden for any final words, Knight expressed gratitude, saying, “I want to give thanks to Yahweh, who is the most high.”
Following this, the execution commenced. Knight kept his eyes closed and remained still as the drugs took effect.
After about 10 minutes, a medic was called in and Knight was declared dead.
Florida’s seventh execution of the year followed a record 19 executions in the state in 2025.
Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis oversaw more executions in a single year in 2025 than any other Florida governor since the death penalty was reinstated in 1976.
The previous record was eight in 2014. And all told, a total of 47 people were executed in the US in 2025.
According to court records, Knight had been living in Coral Springs, near Fort Lauderdale, with his cousin, his cousin’s girlfriend and their daughter in 2000.
Knight and Stephens frequently argued about Knight living there. One evening while Knight’s cousin was at work, Stephens told Knight he would have to move out the next morning.
Knight became angry and stabbed Stephens multiple times and then attacked the young girl, the records show.
Hans Mullings, who was Stephen’s boyfriend and the father of the 4-year-old, told reporters after witnessing Thursday’s execution that his family still grieves the loss.
“The pain never leaves,” Mullings said. “We love them still, and we can’t stop loving them. We miss them a lot.”
Stephen’s sisters and mother didn’t attend the execution, but provided a statement expressing closure.
“Words cannot express the profound sense of peace and finality we feel today,” it said. “While this does not fill the empty space in our hearts, the closing of this long, painful chapter allows us to fully focus on honoring the beautiful lives of Odessia and Hanessia.”
“Richard, may our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ grant you the mercy you failed to give our loved ones whom you so brutally took from us that night,” the statement added.
On Thursday, the US Supreme Court rejected Knight’s final appeal without comment.
That came shortly after the planned execution of a Tennessee inmate, Tony Carruthers, was called off.
Tennessee officials said a team quickly established Carruthers’ main IV line for a lethal injection but couldn’t find a suitable vein for a backup line required under the state’s execution protocol.
Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee later announced the state would not try again for at least a year to execute Carruthers, who was convicted of killing three people.
Also this week, an Arizona prisoner convicted of killing another man by throwing gasoline at him and lighting a match was put to death Wednesday.
Leroy Dean McGill, 63, received a lethal injection at the Arizona State Prison Complex in Florence for the death of Charles Perez, who was attacked at a north Phoenix apartment in 2002.
Florida, meanwhile, is preparing to conduct another execution on June 2. Andrew Richard Lukehart, 53, was convicted of fatally beating of his girlfriend’s infant daughter in 1996.
All Florida executions are by lethal injection of a sedative, a paralytic and a drug that stops the heart, officials say.
