A Florida man convicted of raping and murdering his 13-year-old step-niece in 1976 was executed by lethal injection on Thursday evening. James Ernest Hitchcock, 70, received a three-drug injection at Florida State Prison near Starke, marking the state's sixth execution this year.
Hitchcock was initially sentenced to death in 1977 for the murder of Cynthia Driggers, but after a series of appeals, he was resentenced to death in 1988, 1993, and 1996. According to court records, Hitchcock, then 20, had moved into his brother's Orlando home weeks before the killing. On July 31, 1976, after drinking beer and smoking marijuana, he raped the girl in her room. When she threatened to tell her mother, he choked her, beat her, and left her body in nearby bushes.
Hitchcock later recanted his confession, testifying that his brother had committed the murder. He claimed he initially took the blame to protect his brother. The Florida Supreme Court denied a last-minute appeal, and a final appeal was pending before the U.S. Supreme Court.
Florida has carried out six executions this year, following a record 19 in 2025 under Governor Ron DeSantis. The state leads the nation in executions, with another scheduled for May 21. Richard Knight, 47, is set to be executed for the fatal stabbing of his cousin's girlfriend and her 4-year-old daughter.
