Florida executes James Robertson after Tennessee’s failed lethal injection
publishers 54articles 61first reported 1 Oct, 11:00 UTCdeveloping since 1 Oct · 25 editions
Florida executed James Robertson by lethal injection on Tuesday, the state’s first execution since Tennessee’s failed attempt to execute Christa Pike on Sept. 30.
Robertson, 63, was pronounced dead at 12:32 p.m. after receiving Florida’s three-drug injection at the state prison in Raiford. A Florida Department of Corrections spokesperson said the execution occurred without incident. Robertson was the 17th person executed in Florida in 2026.
Robertson pleaded guilty to first-degree murder for strangling fellow prisoner Frank Hart with socks in 2008 at Charlotte Correctional Institution. According to court records, Robertson said the attack was unprovoked and that he killed Hart because he wanted a death sentence rather than spending the rest of his life in prison. He waived his remaining appeals earlier this month.
Florida had planned two executions Tuesday, but Gov. Ron DeSantis withdrew William Lee Thompson’s death warrant after a medical evaluation and concerns raised by Thompson’s lawyer about his mental competency. Thompson remains on death row and could receive another execution date.
The execution followed heightened scrutiny of lethal injection after Pike survived two doses of pentobarbital in Tennessee. Her lawyers said she was discharged from a hospital Saturday and returned to the Deborah K. Johnson Rehabilitation Center, where she continues to receive medical care. Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee has suspended executions pending an independent investigation.
HOW THIS STORY WAS MADE
Written from 8 articles, 5 with the publisher's own text; 8 independent newsrooms once syndicated copies count as one; this version written 290 h after the record first saw the story; the editor kept it as written.
- Publishers
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- Source articles
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- Given to the writer
- 8, 5 with the article's own text
- Independent newsrooms
- 8
- This version written
- 290 h after the record first saw the story
- Second model (editor)
- kept as written
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- Human review
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WHAT THE EDITOR DID
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