Florida man convicted of killing step-niece is state's 6th execution of 2026
James Ernest Hitchcock was convicted of raping, beating and killing his step-niece in 1976.
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James Ernest Hitchcock was convicted of raping, beating and killing his step-niece in 1976.
Chadwick Scott Willacy, 58, received a three-drug injection and was pronounced dead at 6:15 p.m. at Florida State Prison near Starke for the 1990 killing of Marlys Sather.
A death warrant calls for James Ernest Hitchcock, 69, to be put to death by lethal injection on May 7.
The majority of the court agreed to the pause as James Aren Duckett awaits postconviction DNA testing, which he claims will "provide newly discovered evidence of his actual innocence," the court motion states.
A Florida man convicted of abducting, raping, and murdering a young mother in 2008 was executed on Tuesday evening.
Chadwick Willacy, 58, is scheduled to be executed by lethal injection at Florida State Prison on April 21, the sixth warrant DeSantis has signed this year.
Anthawn Ragan was sentenced to life in prison in the shooting death of 10-year-old Aaron Vu in 2013.
A man convicted of shooting and killing a Florida police officer with his own service weapon during a traffic stop in 1991 was executed Tuesday evening.
A man convicted of killing a grocery store owner is set to become the second person executed in Florida this year.
Anthawn Ragan was given life in prison for the murder of a 10 year old boy in his parents' hair salon in 2013, but he will have to wait over a month more to see if he faces the death penalty.
A man convicted of killing a traveling salesman during a 1989 robbery has become the first person executed in Florida this year.
A judge is set to decide whether convicted killer Anthawn Ragan will be put to death or spend the rest of his life in prison for the shooting death of a 10-year-old boy in 2013.
Charles "Sonny" Burton faces execution in Alabama for his role in a 1991 robbery in which a man was fatally shot, even though Burton did not fire the gun or witness the killing.
This is the third warrant the governor has signed in the new year, with the state setting a modern-era record with 19 executions last year.
A Texas man became the first person executed in the U.S. this year. The man killed his ex-girlfriend and her new boyfriend. At one point, he escaped prison for three days.
Wednesday is expected to be one of the most significant moments in the history of the Dallas County Commissioners Court.
Iranian shopkeeper Erfan Soltani is among thousands of people who were feared to be facing death sentences, but after a warning from President Trump, officials claim he never was.
A Florida inmate convicted in a grizzly 1989 murder is set to become the state's first execution of 2026.
Closing arguments concluded in the penalty phase for 22-year-old Jason Banegas early Monday afternoon.
Next week's scheduled execution of convicted Florida killer Frank Walls is expected to take place as planned.
A psychologist on Thursday testified that convicted cop killer Jason Banegas suffered from lifetime of trauma during the penalty phase of his trial.
Jurors hear wrenching testimony about Banegas' troubled upbringing, his mother's abuse, and the lasting grief of Officer Chirino's loved ones.
The defense for Jason Banegas, who admitting to killing a police officer in Hollywood in 2021, is addressing the jury during the penalty phase of the trial
Jurors heard emotional testimony and saw chilling surveillance video as the trial's penalty phase opened, revealing the desperate fight to save the officer's life.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signed a death warrant this week for Frank Athen Walls, whose execution is now scheduled for Dec. 18.
Social media influencer and model Sophie Hall testified Thursday during opening statements in her civil trial against former Miami Dolphins wide receiver Tyreek Hill.
Emerly Rojas and her mother, Xiomara, received their diagnosis just five months apart. The two now support each other through their treatments.
The site is currently covered under a black tarp as the city continues to disagree on its final plans.
State of Florida and federal officials are discussing the closure of the controversial "Alligator Alcatraz" immigration detention center, according to the New York Times.
A judge has delayed the second murder trial of Rashaun Jones, who is accused of killing his former University of Miami football teammate, Bryan Pata, in 2006.
Social media influencer and model Sophie Hall testified Thursday during opening statements in her civil trial against former Miami Dolphins wide receiver Tyreek Hill.
Emerly Rojas and her mother, Xiomara, received their diagnosis just five months apart. The two now support each other through their treatments.
The site is currently covered under a black tarp as the city continues to disagree on its final plans.
State of Florida and federal officials are discussing the closure of the controversial "Alligator Alcatraz" immigration detention center, according to the New York Times.
A judge has delayed the second murder trial of Rashaun Jones, who is accused of killing his former University of Miami football teammate, Bryan Pata, in 2006.
In courtroom testimony, Shandelle Maycock recounted the harrowing night her daughter was abandoned in the Everglades, describing the horrors they endured.
A former prison guard trainee has been sentenced to death for the 2019 execution-style killings of five women inside a Florida bank.
Florida coach Billy Napier is getting a fourth season to try to get the Gators back to their winning ways.
A Florida man has filed a federal lawsuit against Jacksonville sheriff's officers who severely beat him last year after he ran from a traffic stop.
The Marion County Sheriff's deputy told authorities that he accidentally shot and killed his girlfriend while cleaning his gun.
The acting attorney general is touting the administration's stepped-up denaturalization efforts.
Congressional Democrats are investigating clemency recipients who may have obtained favorable treatment from Trump or his advisers "through intermediaries, financial contributions, or other forms of influence."
Since his second term started, President Trump has introduced a flurry of initiatives aimed at taming the excesses of the pharmaceutical industry.
Former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani has now left the intensive care unit, his spokesperson said, after being hospitalized with pneumonia.
A former cellmate has previously claimed that the note was written by Epstein after a failed suicide attempt less than a month before his death.
Several commissioners have raised questions about how the center would be funded in future years.
In an interview on Facing South Florida, Wasserman Schultz said the Governor's efforts to redraw the maps will almost certainly violate the Fair Districts constitutional amendment voters in Florida passed in 2010.
The center – which was promised to voters back in 2004 – would take mentally ill individuals out of the jail and move them into a place where they can receive comprehensive treatment and support.
Luna said she expects Florida Democrat Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick to be the next member who either resigns or gets expelled.
Uthmeier was asked several times during a press conference in Miami this week if he had formally requested the judge overseeing the grand jury to keep the findings secret.
Three passengers have been evacuated from a cruise ship hit by a hantavirus outbreak, as related cases are confirmed in Switzerland and South Africa.
The FDA announced its first authorization of fruit-flavored electronic cigarettes intended for adult smokers, a major policy shift after months of appeals to President Trump from the vaping industry.
Seventy-three percent of Americans say delays and denials of medical treatment by healthcare insurers are a major problem. Now, a company called Sheer Health says they will fight insurance battles on behalf of their clients.
An unlicensed cosmetologist from Florida has been found guilty in a California court for providing an injection that killed a model who was known as a Kim Kardashian lookalike, prosecutors said.
Food containing norovirus may smell and taste normal but still cause serious illness if consumed, FDA warns.
AARP is sounding the alarm because it is so easy to fall for these schemes, but there are simple things everyone can do to protect themselves.
A lawsuit filed late last month took Chicago-based McDonald's to task over the McRib sandwich, calling its name a form of false advertising.
Florida insurance policyholders could be seeing some form of relief in their wallets thanks to market reforms made statewide, Gov. Ron DeSantis said.
The company said Tuesday that 85% of its retail products and "nearly all" of its school offerings are already made without "certified colors."
Less than two days after Delta Air Lines offered $30,000 to each passenger on board the flight that crashed and flipped in Toronto on Monday afternoon, the company is facing its first two lawsuits in the incident — and they likely won't be the last.
A trial in the lawsuit between Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni was set to begin later in May.
The performance followed similar shows by Madonna in 2024 and Lady Gaga last year on one of the world's most iconic waterfronts.
Attending this year's Kentucky Derby meant more for thoroughbred expert Mark Toothaker, who suffered a seizure from laughing at a whiffed NFL field goal attempt that led to a lifesaving diagnosis.
David Allan Coe also had hits with "You Never Even Called Me By My Name" and "The Ride" among others.
Jake was at the funeral for one of his closest friends when he learned of his parents' deaths, he said.