Florida Execution Of Robert Hendrix Makes It 85 For The State, And Counting

The execution in Florida of Robert Hendrix was the 85th death sentence carried out in the state since 1979.

Hendrix was executed on Monday, after having been convicted of murdering two of his relatives to prevent them giving evidence against him in a burglary trial.

The execution by lethal injection took place at the Florida State Prison in Starke, and Hendrix was pronounced dead at 6:21 p.m.

This execution is the fourth this year in Florida, and coincidentally maintains the state’s position as number four on the list of states implementing the death penalty. Virginia and Oklahoma occupy positions two and three with 110 executions each, but these numbers are far outstripped by Texas, which has managed a whopping 515 executions since 1976.

The Lone Star State has achieved the dubious distinction of being responsible for almost 40 percent of all executions in America over the past 38 years.

Missouri – which carried out the execution of William Rousan this week – is number five on the list with a total of 74 executions.

Each execution fuels the ongoing controversy about their validity. There is a cynical saying that winning or losing a case in the American Justice System is dependent upon which side can afford the better lawyers.

The Associated Press reports that, in the case of Hendrix, during the sentencing phase his attorneys failed to call witnesses who could have testified that Hendrix was regularly beaten by his father and had a serious drug addiction. These were factors that Hendrix claimed could explain his unbalanced mental state.

During the course of the trial, Hendrix’s attorney said that there was no forensic evidence linking his client to the murders, and the witnesses against him were unreliable.

Attorney Harry Brody, representing Hendrix, alleged that the presiding judge had a conflict of interest and that Hendrix’s trial lawyer was ineffective at presenting mitigating circumstances during sentencing. The fact that Hendrix was shackled during his trial was misleading, as it could have influenced jurors to form a biased impression that he was dangerous.

Following the U.S. Supreme Court denial of Hendrix’s last-minute request for a stay, there was no further obstacle to carrying out the sentence.

According to officials in the correction facility, Hendrix ate a last meal of pork chops, sausage gravy and biscuits, German chocolate cake and a soft drink.

Viewed objectively, the tradition of feeding a condemned prisoner a specially requested meal shortly before execution verges on the bizarre.