- Richard Knight, 47, is scheduled for execution Thursday evening in Florida for the 2000 murders of Odessia Stephens and her 4-year-old daughter, Hanessia Mullings.
- Knight was convicted of brutally stabbing Stephens and Mullings in their Coral Springs home after Stephens told him he needed to move out.
- His final legal arguments, including claims about an unidentified fingerprint, were rejected by the Florida Supreme Court last week, though a final appeal is pending before the U.S. Supreme Court.
- This marks Florida's seventh execution this year, as the state has significantly increased its use of the death penalty under Gov. Ron DeSantis.
- Florida carries out executions using a three-drug lethal injection protocol, and another execution is already scheduled for June 2.
IN FULL