Florida Man’s Execution Increases State’s Record
A man from Florida, found guilty of murdering his estranged wife’s sister and parents, has marked a grim milestone, bringing the total number of executions in the state this year to 12.
David Pittman, aged 63, was executed via lethal injection at the Florida State Jail near Stark on Wednesday at 6:12 PM. Reports indicate he took several deep breaths before becoming motionless as the drug was administered.
In his last words, Pittman maintained his innocence, stating, “You guys are the ones who came to see an innocent man being murdered by Florida. I am innocent. I didn’t kill anyone. That’s all.”
Convicted in 1991, Pittman was sentenced to death on three counts of first-degree murder stemming from incidents in the previous year. The jury had recommended the death penalty with a 9-3 vote.
Pittman and his then-wife, Marie, had divorced in May 1990. Shortly afterward, he fatally stabbed her parents, Clarence and Barbara Knowles, as well as their 21-year-old daughter, Bonnie. He then set their house ablaze and stole Bonnie’s vehicle, which he later torched.
There were multiple threats made by Pittman against his family, and witnesses reported seeing him escape from a burning car. Various testimonies from prison informants suggested he confessed to killing his wife’s family.
Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd attended the execution, expressing a desire to see Pittman pay for his actions. “He was evil at the time. He’s never changed. This evil man wiped out the whole family,” Judd remarked.
Pittman’s final appeal was turned down by the U.S. Supreme Court just a day before his execution.
Concerns regarding Pittman’s intellectual capacity had surfaced in recent complaints. His lawyers argued that carrying out the execution would be unconstitutional due to his mental health issues. However, state lawyers countered that it was too late for these claims, especially after the Florida Supreme Court ruled in 2020 that such arguments couldn’t be applied retroactively.
In a statement, advocates for alternatives to the death penalty criticized the execution, stating, “We killed a man who was broken and beaten as a child,” highlighting Pittman’s troubled upbringing marked by violence and neglect.
This execution adds to Florida’s record number of executions this year, with another set for September 30. Victor Tony Jones, 64, is scheduled to be executed for killing a couple during a robbery, while Samuel Lee Smithers, 72, is due for execution on October 14 for the murders of two women.
Florida now holds the highest number of executions in the U.S. this year, surpassing states like Texas and South Carolina, which both have recorded four. A total of 31 executions have occurred nationwide in 2025.
Critics argue that the swift pace of executions does not enhance public safety and instead wreaks havoc on families, asserting that many of those affected are individuals who have experienced significant trauma.
Before this year, Florida’s highest number of executions in a single year stood at eight, a record set back in 2014 following a previous moratorium on the death penalty that began in 1976.
