A 74-year-old Florida man was put to death Thursday for the 1992 stabbing murder of his wife, becoming the oldest prisoner executed in the state’s modern history.
Dusty Ray Spencer was declared dead at 6:10 p.m. after receiving a three-drug lethal injection at Florida State Prison near Starke.
“Sorry, sorry to the family. Into thy hands I commit my spirit and my soul. I’m on my way, Lord. I’m on my way. Amen,” Spencer said when asked whether he wanted to make a final statement.
Minutes later, after several labored breaths, Spencer stopped moving. The warden shook him and called out his name repeatedly, but he did not respond. A medic then examined him and confirmed his death.
Dusty Ray Spencer, 74, was executed Thursday for the 1992 fatal stabbing of his wife. (Florida Department of Corrections)
Spencer was found guilty in November 1992 of first-degree murder in the death of his wife, Karen Spencer. Her relatives did not issue a statement after the execution.
Florida Department of Corrections records going back to 1924 show the previous oldest inmates executed by the state were both 72: Samuel Lee Smithers, who was executed on Oct. 14, 2025, for the 1996 murders of two women, and R. Charlie Gifford, who was executed on Feb. 21, 1951, for the 1950 shooting death of state Rep. Charles Schuh Jr.
Another Florida death row inmate, 74-year-old Dennis Sochor, is set to be executed on July 14 for the killing of a woman in the early hours of New Year’s Day in 1982, after the two had met at a New Year’s Eve party.
The oldest person executed in modern times in the U.S. was Walter Leroy Moody Jr., 83, who was put to death in Alabama in 2018, for sending mail bombs during a wave of Southern terror, killing a federal judge and a Black civil rights attorney.
Spencer’s execution was the ninth in Florida so far this year.
Dusty Ray Spencer was pronounced dead at 6:10 p.m. after officials executed him using a three-drug injection at Florida State Prison near Starke. (Curt Anderson/AP Photo)
READ MORE: Understanding the Controversy Surrounding Jimmy Page: Allegations of Sexual Misconduct Explained
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.
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 U.S., 47 people were executed in 2025.
Spencer was arrested after choking and threatening to kill his wife, Karen, in December 1991. As he was sitting in jail, he called his wife and warned her that he would finish what he started when he was released.
On Jan. 18, 1992, Spencer beat his wife’s teenage son with a clothes iron when the teen attempted to stop Spencer from attacking his mother, according to officials.
About a week later, the boy went to check out a commotion outside their home and saw Spencer hitting his mother in the head with a brick.
Dusty Ray Spencer’s execution was the ninth in Florida so far this year. (Sue Ogrocki/Associated Press)
The teen attempted to shoot Spencer with a rifle, but the gun misfired. Spencer threatened the boy with a knife, and the boy ran away to search for help. When police arrived, Spencer’s wife was found dead with several stab wounds to the chest.
Spencer was initially sentenced to death in 1992, after he was convicted of first-degree murder, attempted first-degree murder, aggravated assault and aggravated battery.
Two years later, the Florida Supreme Court ordered his new sentencing after finding that the trial court had mishandled evaluating aggravating and mitigating circumstances. Spencer was resentenced to death the following year, and subsequent appeals were denied.
Last week, the state Supreme Court rejected Spencer’s appeals, and the U.S. Supreme Court rejected a final appeal earlier on Thursday.
