Florida executes 74‑year‑old Dusty Ray Spencer for 1992 murder

Dusty Ray Spencer, a 74‑year‑old inmate, was executed by lethal injection on Thursday evening, June 25‑26 2026, at a state prison near Starke, Florida. He had been sentenced to death for the 1992 stabbing murder of his wife, Karen Spencer, after also assaulting her teenage son with an iron.

Spencer’s final appeal was denied by the Florida Supreme Court and the U.S. Supreme Court, which refused a stay without comment. Shortly before the injection, he apologized to his family, saying, “I’m sorry, I’m sorry to my family.” The execution marked Florida’s ninth in 2026 and the oldest inmate ever put to death in the state since records began in 1924. A second 74‑year‑old, Dennis Sochor, is scheduled for execution on July 14.

The case highlights ongoing debates over capital punishment, especially concerning age and health concerns raised by Spencer’s lawyers, who argued that his liver disease would cause undue suffering.