Gov. Ron DeSantis has lifted a temporary hold on the planned June 15 execution of convicted murderer Duane Owen, as attorneys for Owen and the state continue to battle at the Florida Supreme Court about whether he is mentally competent to be put to death.
Eighth Amendment
It Is Unconstitutional, But Florida Lawmakers Approve Death Penalty in Child Rape Cases
Lawmakers hope the bill (HB 1297) will ultimately lead to the U.S. Supreme Court reversing a 2008 decision that barred the death penalty for people who rape children. The state House passed the bill last week.
Louis Gaskin Killed 33 Years After Double-Murder as Mark Carman, Who’d Arrested Him, Witnesses
Louis Gaskin, who murdered Robert and Georgette Sturmfels in Palm Coast’s R Section in 1989, was killed by lethal injection Wednesday evening. Mark Carman, who arrested Gaskin 33 years ago, was among the witnesses to the execution, and spoke of the experience, as did others who turned up in opposition to the death penalty.
U.S. Supreme Court Refuses to Block Execution of Flagler’s Louis Gaskin, Set for Wednesday
The U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday refused to block the execution of Death Row inmate Louis Gaskin, who is slated to face lethal injection Wednesday in the 1989 murders of a Flagler County couple.
Appeal to Supreme Court for Stay of Gaskin Execution Cites FlaglerLive Article on Juror’s Reversal
Among other arguments, Gaskin’s lawyers cite a March 15 FlaglerLive article in which Janet Valentine, one of the 12 jurors at Gaskin’s 1990 trial, saying she regrets being part of the 8-4 votes recommending his death. Valentine would go on to be Flagler County’s school superintendent between 2010 and 2014.
Senate Will Vote on Eliminating Need for Unanimous Juries in Death Recommendations
The Senate Rules Committee voted 15-4 to approve a bill (SB 450) that would allow death sentences to be imposed based on the recommendations of eight of 12 jurors — a standard that bill sponsor Blaise Ingoglia, R-Spring Hill, described as being “the most aggressive of all 50 states.”
Judge Perkins Denies Further Hearings and Claim of ‘Manifest Injustice’ in Gaskin Death Penalty Case
Circuit Judge Terence Perkins this morning in Bunnell denied the defense’s motion for an evidentiary hearing on Tuesday, ending Gaskin’s last possible effort to prevent his killing. The state Supreme Court and a last-minute commutation by the governor are the only remaining possibilities, but they are beyond the remote.
A Series of Frantic Hearings at Bunnell Courthouse Are Preceding State’s Killing of Louis Gaskin
Nearly half a dozen hearings are taking place at the Flagler County courthouse between this week and next in the case of Louis Gaskin, who is scheduled to be executed by the state on April 12. The hearings are last-minutes attempt either to delay or to annul the execution, but the likelihood of success is beyond the realm of hail Marys.
Janet Valentine, a Juror and Future Superintendent, Regrets Voting for Gaskin’s Death. Prosecutor Does Not.
Janet Valentine, who would become Flagler school superintendent 20 years later, was one of the jurors who recommended the death of Louis Gaskin in 1990, a vote she now regrets. Gaskin is to be put to death in April. John Tanner, the State Attorney at the time, has no regrets for seeking the death penalty.
Lawmakers Move Closer to Scrapping Unanimous Jury Requirement for Death Penalty Recommendations
The House Justice Appropriations Subcommittee voted 8-6 today to approve a bill (HB 555) that would eliminate a requirement for unanimous jury recommendations before death sentences can be imposed. Under the bill, judges would sentence people to death based on recommendations of eight of 12 jurors.