STARK, Fla. (AP) – A Florida man convicted of raping and murdering his neighbor decades ago was executed Tuesday evening in the state’s record 15th execution this year.
Norman Mir Grimm Jr., 65, was pronounced dead at the Florida State Penitentiary near Starke after receiving three different drug injections. He was convicted of sexual assault and first-degree murder in the July 1998 death of Cynthia Campbell.
At 6 p.m., the scheduled execution time, the curtain to the death chamber was immediately raised. Grimm was already strapped to a table, arm outstretched, and hooked up to an IV. Asked if he wanted to make a final statement, he said: “No, no.”
After about a minute, the lethal injection began, and Grimm closed his eyes, breathed heavily, and twitched slightly.
The inmate eventually stopped moving and the warden repeatedly shook him and shouted his name, but Mr. Grimm did not respond. Medics were called at 6:13 p.m. to check Grimm’s vitals, and he was pronounced dead a minute later.
Mr. Grimm was convicted in 2000 of murdering his neighbor Mr. Campbell. After she was reported missing in 1998, her battered body was found by fishermen in waters near the Pensacola Bay Bridge.
Prosecutors said Campbell suffered multiple blunt force injuries to the face and head consistent with being struck with a hammer, as well as 11 stab wounds to the chest. An autopsy revealed seven stab wounds had penetrated her heart. Physical evidence, including DNA, linked Grimm to her murder.
In 2014, Florida had the highest number of executions in a year since the U.S. Supreme Court reinstated the death penalty in 1976, at eight. Florida has executed more people this year than any other state, followed by Texas and Alabama with five each.
After the death warrant is signed and an execution date is set, the inmate has one final chance to appeal to the Florida Supreme Court and the U.S. Supreme Court. However, Mr. Grimm recently abandoned his appeal. Officials said he had no visitors Tuesday and did not meet with his spiritual advisor.
A total of 40 people have died in court-ordered executions in the United States so far this year, and at least 18 people are scheduled to be executed during the remainder of 2025 and next year.
In 2014, Florida had the highest number of executions in a year since the U.S. Supreme Court reinstated the death penalty in 1976, at eight. Florida has executed more people this year than any other state, followed by Texas and Alabama with five each. Two more executions are scheduled for next month in Florida under death warrants signed by Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis.
Two more executions are scheduled in Florida next month.
Brian Fredrick Jennings, 66, is scheduled to be executed for the 16th time in the state on November 13th. He was convicted of breaking in through a window and kidnapping a 6-year-old girl from her central Florida home in 1979, then raping and killing her.
Richard Barry Randolph, 63, is scheduled to be executed for the 17th time in Florida on November 20th. He was convicted in 1988 of raping and fatally assaulting a former manager at a convenience store in Florida.
Florida’s lethal injections use sedatives, paralytics and drugs that stop the heart, according to the state Department of Corrections.
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