The state of Florida has executed Richard Knight, 47, by lethal injection for the 2000 murders of Odessia Stephens, who was pregnant, and her four-year-old daughter, Hanessia Mullings. The execution took place at Florida State Prison on Thursday at 6.13pm local time, marking the seventh execution in the state this year.
Court records show that Knight attacked the victims on June 27, 2000, at a home in Coral Springs after Stephens tried to evict him. Armed with kitchen knives, he stabbed Stephens 21 times, including 14 to the neck, and strangled and stabbed Hanessia four times. Stephens was six weeks pregnant and had defensive wounds, indicating she fought back. Knight's DNA was found under her fingernails, and blood matching hers was on his shirt.
Knight's legal team attempted to halt the execution, citing a fingerprint on a knife blade that they argued required further testing, and concerns about Florida's lethal injection procedures. They referenced a halted execution in Tennessee earlier that day where staff struggled to set up an intravenous line. However, the Florida Supreme Court rejected their emergency request hours before the execution.
Knight declined a final meal and made a brief religious statement: 'I want to give thanks to Yahweh, who is the most high.' He became the 14th person executed in the United States this year. Florida has accelerated executions under Governor Ron DeSantis, who has stated the aim is to provide closure for victims' families.
