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A man from Florida is set to face execution next month following his conviction for the murder of his cousin’s girlfriend and her 4-year-old daughter. This decision comes after Governor Ron DeSantis signed the death warrant on Wednesday.
Richard Knight, aged 47, is slated for execution by lethal injection on May 21 at Florida State Prison in Starke. His death warrant is one among several recently authorized by the governor.
The tragic events date back to the year 2000, when Knight was found guilty of murdering Odessia Stephens and her young daughter, Hanessia Mullings. According to WFLA, prosecutors revealed that the fatal incident followed a dispute between Knight and Stephens on the night of the crime.
Court records have depicted the murders as “heinous, atrocious, and cruel,” which paints a grim picture of the crime’s severity.
Richard Knight’s execution is scheduled for May 21 at the Florida State Prison in Starke, as confirmed by the Florida Department of Corrections.
Stephens and her daughter had gone to bed when Knight grabbed knives from the kitchen, walked into their bedroom and attacked the woman as her daughter lay next to her.
Investigators said Knight stabbed Stephens 21 times, with most of the injuries to her neck. She also sustained stab wounds to her chin, back and chest.
Stephens also suffered injuries indicating she had been strangled and attempted to fight back, and investigators said images from the crime showed a “bloody struggle.”
Knight then strangled and stabbed the child multiple times, causing stab wounds to her upper chest, neck and hand.
The details were presented by prosecutors during trial proceedings, according to court records.
Richard Knight was convicted in the 2000 murders of Odessia Stephens and her daughter, Hanessia Mullings. (AP)
A judge sentenced Knight to death in 2007 after a jury unanimously recommended the death sentence for his first-degree murder convictions.
Efforts by Knight’s attorneys to appeal the case have so far been unsuccessful. Court records show his legal team has challenged the conviction and sentence in multiple appeals, which have been denied to date.
Fox News Digital has reached out to Knight’s legal team for comment.
DeSantis continues to accelerate the number of death warrants signed since the start of last year.
In 2025, 19 people were put to death in Florida, setting a record for the most executions in one year in the Sunshine State. Before last year, Florida’s record for executions in a year since the death penalty was restored in 1976 was eight in 1984 and 2014.
Florida has already executed five people in 2026. (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki, File)
Advocacy groups, including the Equal Justice Initiative, have raised concerns about fairness and due process in death penalty cases.
Florida also executed more people last year than any other state, with Alabama, Texas and South Carolina tied for the second-most with five each. Across the U.S., 47 people were executed in 2025.
This year, Florida has already executed five people, and another is scheduled for April 30, when James Hitchcock, 70, is scheduled to be put to death for the rape and murder of his 13-year-old step-niece.
The last execution was carried out on Tuesday, when Chadwick Willacy, 58, was put to death for murdering his elderly neighbor in Palm Bay by setting the victim on fire.
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