US News
Florida schedules 14th execution of the year as inmate waives appeals
Harold Gene Lucas declined to pursue further legal appeals following his 1976 conviction for murder and attempted murder.
The short version
- Florida is scheduled to execute 74-year-old Harold Gene Lucas by lethal injection on Tuesday for a 1976 fatal shooting.
- Lucas chose to forgo all remaining legal appeals, stating he did not want to prolong his nearly 50 years on death row.
- The execution is Florida's 14th this year, with two additional executions scheduled by Governor Ron DeSantis later in September.
Key facts
- Harold Gene Lucas, 74, is scheduled to receive a three-drug lethal injection at Florida State Prison on Tuesday starting at 6 p.m.[ABC News · Associated Press]
- Lucas was convicted of first-degree murder and two counts of attempted first-degree murder for the 1976 killing of 16-year-old Jill Piper and the wounding of her two friends.[ABC News · Associated Press]
- Lucas explicitly waived his right to post-conviction appeals with both the Florida Supreme Court and the U.S. Supreme Court.[ABC News · Associated Press]
- The upcoming sentence marks Florida's 14th execution this year, accounting for more than half of all executions in the United States during this period.[ABC News · Associated Press]
- Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has signed warrants for two additional executions scheduled later in September.[ABC News · Associated Press]