A Florida man convicted of fatally stabbing his cousin's girlfriend and her 4-year-old daughter is set to be executed Thursday evening, marking the state's seventh execution of 2026.
Richard Knight, 47, is scheduled to receive a three-drug lethal injection at 6 p.m. at Florida State Prison near Starke. He was sentenced to death in 2006 for the murders of Odessia Stephens and her daughter, Hanessia Mullings, which occurred in June 2000.
According to court records, Knight lived with his cousin, the cousin's girlfriend Stephens, and their daughter in Coral Springs near Fort Lauderdale. Tensions often arose between Knight and Stephens over his residency. One evening, while Knight's cousin was at work, Stephens told Knight he needed to move out the next morning. Enraged, Knight stabbed Stephens multiple times and then attacked the young girl.
While in custody at Broward County Jail, Knight confessed to the killings to another inmate, who later testified against him at trial. The Florida Supreme Court denied Knight's appeals last Friday, rejecting claims of newly discovered evidence, including an unidentified fingerprint on a knife at the scene, which had been addressed during the original trial. The court also dismissed challenges to Florida's execution protocols and warrant process. A final appeal remains pending before the U.S. Supreme Court.
This execution follows a record 19 executions in Florida in 2025, the highest in a single year since the death penalty was reinstated in 1976. Republican Governor Ron DeSantis oversaw more executions in 2025 than any previous Florida governor. Nationwide, 47 executions occurred in 2025, with Florida leading, followed by Alabama, South Carolina, and Texas, each with five.
Another execution is scheduled in Florida on June 2 for Andrew Richard Lukehart, 53, convicted of fatally beating his girlfriend's infant daughter in 1996.
All Florida executions use a lethal injection of a sedative, a paralytic, and a drug that stops the heart, as per the Department of Corrections.
