Bryan Frederick Jennings, a former Marine who was convicted of killing a 6-year-old girl, said one word prior to his execution on Thursday.
When asked if he had any final words, Jennings loudly said, “No,” the Associated Press reports.
Why It Matters
Jennings was the 16th death row inmate executed in Florida this year so far. Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has ordered more executions in a single year than any Florida governor since the death penalty was reinstated in 1976. DeSantis explained the record number at a recent press conference.
“Some of these crimes were committed in the ‘80s,” DeSantis said. “Justice delayed is justice denied. I felt I owed it to them to make sure this ran very smoothly. If I honestly thought someone was innocent, I would not pull the trigger.”
What To Know
Jennings, 66, was pronounced dead at 6:20 p.m. at Florida State Prison after lethal injection.
In 1979, Jennings took down a screen at the bedroom window of 6-year-old Rebecca Kunash while her parents were in another room, according to court documents obtained by the Associated Press. Jennings was 20 years old and on leave from the Marine Corps at the time.
During trial testimony, Jennings was accused of abducting the girl, taking her to a canal and raping her. Court records state that Jennings then “swung her by her legs to the ground with such force that she fractured her skull.”
Kunash was drowned in the canal, and her body was found later that day.
Jennings was arrested on a traffic warrant after investigators determined he matched the description of a man seen near Kunash’s home when she disappeared.
Shoe prints found at the home matched the shoes Jennings was wearing, his fingerprints were found on Kunash’s windowsill and his clothes and hair were wet at the time of his arrest.
Jennings was convicted and sentenced to death three separate times. His first two convictions were overturned, but his final trial in 1986 resulted in a death sentence.
Jennings was also sentenced to life in prison for kidnapping, sexual assault and burglary.
Jennings filed multiple state and federal appeals prior to his execution. A recent argument he made was that he went months without legal counsel prior to DeSantis signing his death warrant.
The U.S. Supreme Court denied his final appeal on Wednesday.
What People Are Saying
Maria DeLiberato, legal and policy director for anti-capital punishment group Floridians for Alternatives to the Death Penalty, in a statement obtained by the Associated Press: “Florida’s death penalty system has become unrecognizable from the one the law promises. Bryan Jennings was left without a state court lawyer for years, denied a clemency review in this century, and then selected for execution because of favorable political timing.”
Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier, in a response filed to the Florida Supreme Court: “At no point has Jennings been deprived of notice or an opportunity to be heard.”
What Happens Next
The next scheduled execution is set to take place on Friday. The state of South Carolina is expected to execute Stephen Bryant, who was convicted of killing three people.
This article includes reporting by The Associated Press.
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