A Florida death-row inmate who murdered his sleeping cellmate in hopes of securing what he believed would be better prison conditions was executed nearly 20 years after the killing.
The Florida Department of Corrections confirmed that James Robertson, 63, died at 12:32 p.m. on Oct. 13 at Florida State Prison.
According to Gulf Coast News Now., Robertson’s final meal consisted of steak, potatoes, fried eggs, toast and milk. He also spent time with a cousin and a pen pal before the execution.
Asked if he wanted to make a final statement before the lethal injection, Robertson answered, “Nah, I’m straight.”
He was declared dead roughly 10 minutes later after receiving a three-drug combination consisting of a sedative, a paralytic and medication intended to stop his heart, The Associated Press reported.
The execution came shortly after a problematic lethal injection in Tennessee involving Christa Pike. Pike continued breathing after being given two doses of pentobarbital and was taken to a hospital. She was later returned to prison after the governor suspended executions statewide while an independent panel investigates the incident.
Ahead of Robertson’s execution, Jordan Kirkland, a spokesperson for the Florida Department of Corrections, described the state’s procedure as “humane and dignified.”
“Florida has a sound lethal injection process and protocol,” Kirkland said.
Why Was James Robertson on Death Row?
Robertson first entered prison in 1980 after being convicted of burglary and assault. His sentence was later extended following convictions related to escape, battery and weapons offenses, The Associated Press reported.
In 2008, he strangled his cellmate, Frank Hart, as Hart slept. Hart was serving a sentence for sexual battery and was only eight days away from release. Robertson pleaded guilty and acknowledged that he killed Hart so he could receive a death sentence and end his life in prison.
Robertson later discussed the killing on the 2018 Netflix series “I Am a Killer.” He said he had been held under “close management,” a restrictive prison arrangement with very limited privileges.
“They took everything from me, like the TV. That’s torture. You’re locked in a cell all day,” he said. “You might get to come out a couple times a week for like two hours or something like that, and they’ll put you in a little dog cage. You just lose all motivation. You ain’t getting no sun, really.”
Robertson believed life on death row would offer more favorable conditions, Gulf Coast News Now reported.
Hart’s death came only eight days before he was scheduled to be released from prison.
After the execution, Hart’s daughter, Rebecca Hart, spoke with reporters outside Florida State Prison about the lasting effect her father’s murder had on her life.
“When someone you love is taken from you in such a violent way, the world keeps moving, even when a part of yours feels like it has stopped,” she said, according to the AP. “Other people go on with their lives, but you carry your loss into every tomorrow.”
Rebecca Hart said she hoped Robertson’s execution would allow her family to begin finding a sense of closure.
“I’m just praying that it does bring our entire family at least a sense of that,” she told Gulf Coast News Now. “He’s gone. He’s no longer there….He’s not a looming dark cloud over our head anymore.”