A man convicted of abducting and murdering a woman in the early 1980s is scheduled to be executed in Florida.
Kayle Bates, 67, is set to receive a lethal injection at Florida State Prison on Tuesday evening.
Bates was convicted of first-degree murder, kidnapping, armed robbery and attempted sexual battery in connection with the killing of Janet White in Bay County on 14 June 1982.
According to court documents, Bates abducted Ms White from the insurance office where she worked, took her into nearby woodland, and attempted to rape her before stabbing her to death. He also forcibly removed a diamond ring from one of her fingers.
Florida carries out executions using a three-drug lethal injection, which includes a sedative, a paralytic, and a drug that stops the heart, according to the state’s Department of Corrections.
Bates’ death warrant was signed by Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, a Republican.
Lawyers representing Bates filed appeals with the Florida Supreme Court and the US Supreme Court, as well as a federal lawsuit, claiming that the governor’s process for signing death warrants is discriminatory.
The federal lawsuit was dismissed last Tuesday.
On the same day, the Florida Supreme Court denied Bates’ pending claims, which included arguments that evidence of organic brain damage had been inadequately considered during his second penalty phase. The court noted that Bates has had more than three decades to raise such claims.
A decision from the US Supreme Court on Bates’ final appeal is still pending.
If carried out, this would be Florida’s 10th execution in 2025, with two more executions planned in the state within the next month.
Across the United States, 28 men have been executed so far this year, with at least another 10 people scheduled to face the death penalty in seven states by the end of 2025.
