Child Killer Meets Justice After 45 Years
Bryan Frederick Jennings, the man convicted of the horrific rape and murder of a six-year-old girl more than four decades ago, has been executed by lethal injection in Florida.
The 66-year-old was put to death at the Florida State Prison near Starke, bringing a final close to a case that has stretched over 45 years. Jennings was found guilty of the first-degree murder, kidnapping, burglary and sexual battery of Rebecca Kunash in 1979.
A Brutal Crime
Jennings, who was 20 at the time, abducted Rebecca from her home. He then drove the young girl to a canal where he brutally raped her. According to official court records, he then "swung her by her legs to the ground with such force that she fractured her skull."
The violent assault did not end there. After inflicting the catastrophic head injury, Jennings proceeded to drown the child in the canal. Her body was discovered later that same day.
Jennings was apprehended mere hours after the murder on an unrelated traffic warrant. He matched the description of a man seen near the Kunash residence around the time Rebecca vanished.
The evidence against him was substantial. Shoeprints at the scene matched the shoes he was wearing, his fingerprints were identified on the girl’s windowsill, and his clothes and hair were found to be wet.
Long Road to Justice
Jennings was twice convicted and sentenced to death for the Brevard County murder, but both verdicts were later overturned on appeal. A third trial in 1986 finally resulted in a conviction and a death sentence that was upheld.
In addition to the death penalty for murder, Jennings received life prison terms for the crimes of kidnapping, sexual assault, and burglary.
On the night of his execution, Jennings, a former US Marine, declined to make a final statement. Jordan Kirkland, a spokesman for the Department of Corrections, confirmed that "The execution took place without incident. There were no complications."
This execution marks the 16th carried out in Florida this year, a new record for the state. The previous record of eight executions was set in 2014.
Governor Ron DeSantis, who signed Jennings' death warrant, has authorised more executions this year than any Florida governor since the death penalty was reinstated across the United States in 1976.
Governor DeSantis has stated that the high number of executions stems from his commitment to delivering long-awaited justice to victims' families. "Some of these crimes were committed in the ’80s," he remarked at a recent news conference. "Justice delayed is justice denied."
Two more Florida executions are scheduled for November 20 and December 9. If carried out, they will bring the state’s annual total to 18.
