A 63-year-old convicted killer, who has been on death row since 1991, was put to death on Wednesday, marking the 12th execution in Florida this year under Republican Governor Ron DeSantis, setting a new record.
David Joseph Pittman received a lethal injection just after 6 p.m. ET at the Florida State Prison near Starke following a death warrant signed by DeSantis. The governor has surpassed all previous administrations in issuing death warrants this year.
Despite maintaining his innocence, Pittman was executed for a triple murder he claimed he did not commit. Prior to the execution, he stated, “I know you all came to watch an innocent man be murdered by the state of Florida. I am innocent. I didn’t kill anybody. That’s it,” as reported by the Mirror US.
Pittman, convicted in 1990 for the murders of three individuals in Mulberry, east of Tampa, sought legal intervention from the Supreme Court to challenge the legality of his sentence due to his intellectual disability.
The execution proceeded smoothly, confirmed DeSantis’ spokesperson, Alex Lanfranconi. As the lethal drugs took effect, Pittman took several deep breaths before falling silent.
Advocacy group Floridians for Alternatives to the Death Penalty urged DeSantis to halt the execution, criticizing the use of capital punishment as a spectacle that perpetuates violence rather than promoting safety or justice.
On May 15, 1990, a Mulberry family was tragically found brutally murdered and their home set on fire. Pittman, amidst a tumultuous divorce, was accused of threatening his wife’s family and ultimately convicted of the heinous crimes.
Pittman’s final appeal was rejected by the U.S. Supreme Court before his execution. He spent his final day having a last meal and there was no information available on whether he received any visitors.
Florida has two more executions scheduled for this fall, with Victor Tony Jones set for September 30 and Samuel Lee Smithers for October 14, both for separate murder cases in the state.