Florida Set to Execute Harold Gene Lucas, State’s 14th Prisoner Put to Death This Year
PN Team • 2 months ago
Florida is scheduled to execute Harold Gene Lucas, 74, by lethal injection Tuesday at Florida State Prison near Starke, marking the state's 14th execution of the year. Lucas was convicted of fatally shooting 16-year-old Jill Piper in 1976 after she rejected his romantic advances, and of wounding two of her friends. He was sentenced to death five times across multiple resentencings following appeals, and has spent nearly 50 years on death row. Lucas waived further appeals, telling a judge he was "tired" and wanted the process over.
Florida has carried out more executions than any other state in 2025, accounting for more than half of the 23 total executions nationwide, including a rare same-day double execution in July. Two more Florida executions are scheduled this month: Daniel Owen Conahan Jr. on September 10 and Curtis Wilkie Beasley on September 29. Gov. Ron DeSantis has signed death warrants for both. Florida uses a three-drug lethal injection protocol involving a sedative, a paralytic, and a heart-stopping drug.
Sources:
Sentiment
- Florida Florida is portrayed as leading the nation in executions, a fact that casts the state in a controversial and unfavorable light regarding capital punishment.
- Ron DeSantis DeSantis is noted for signing death warrants, associating him with the state's aggressive execution pace, which is a divisive and unfavorable topic for some readers.