Florida to execute elderly inmates in July as death row ages

Rare octogenarian execution set in Florida

MIAMI — Florida is scheduled to execute two elderly inmates by the end of July, including an 80-year-old man who would be only the second known octogenarian executed in the United States, according to the Associated Press.

The state previously executed a 74-year-old prisoner, the oldest inmate Florida has executed in modern times. MSI previously reported that Florida executed a 74-year-old inmate on June 25.

The series of executions highlights the nation’s aging death-row population, the Associated Press reported. The 80-year-old inmate scheduled for execution this month was convicted of killing his ex-girlfriend’s parents in 1986. The next two inmates set to die are older than the 74-year-old previously executed.

According to the Associated Press, the cluster of executions renews questions for some about the humanity of administering capital punishment to inmates who might soon die from natural causes, while for others it illustrates how lengthy appeals designed to ensure constitutional protections and prevent innocent people from being executed can also delay justice.

The Rev. Dustin Feddon, a Catholic priest who has been ministering to Florida death row inmates since 2013, questioned whether the state was intentionally proceeding with executions to prevent natural deaths.

“Is this intentional, as though to say, we’re not going to let a natural death help you escape executions?” Feddon said. Noting the church’s opposition to capital punishment, he added: “To execute those that are the most frail and elderly is even more cruel and unusual.”

Marilyn Gifford, whose sister’s killer is set to die Tuesday, said she is “just happy it’s ever happening in our lifetime.”