Scheduled execution for a Florida man after he murdered his estranged wife's sister and parents, then torched their home
In a significant development, Florida has broken its 50-year record for executions, with 10 deaths by lethal injection carried out so far this year. This makes Florida the state with the highest number of executions in the United States in 2025, surpassing Texas and South Carolina, which are tied at 4 each [1][2].
The execution scheduled for September 17, 2021, will mark the 12th execution in Florida this year. David Pittman, aged 63, is facing the death penalty for the murders that occurred at the Polk County home of his wife's parents, Clarence and Barbara Knowles, in May 1990. Pittman was convicted and sentenced to death in 1991 for three counts of first-degree murder, arson, and grand theft [3].
The murders claimed the lives of Pittman's younger wife's daughter, Bonnie Knowles, and her grandparents. Pittman set fire to the house and stole Bonnie's car, which he also set on fire. A witness identified Pittman as the person running away from the burning car, and a jailhouse informant testified that Pittman had admitted to the killings [3].
The execution warrant for Pittman was signed by Governor Ron DeSantis. An appeal has already been scheduled with the Florida Supreme Court, and it is likely that an appeal will be filed with the US Supreme Court as well [3].
Florida's increase in executions has raised concerns about the legal processes surrounding these proceedings. Issues include inadequate legal representation, secrecy in scheduling executions, and disputed evidence. Several cases involved appeals citing prosecutorial misconduct, witness recantations, and delays or failures in legal counsel during habeas corpus proceedings [4].
The death penalty in Florida and the United States has a complex history, marked by major legal milestones and shifts in execution methods. The U.S. Supreme Court struck down the death penalty in Furman v. Georgia (1972) due to concerns over arbitrary sentencing, but reinstated it in Gregg v. Georgia (1976), which also upheld Florida’s statute in Proffitt v. Florida. Florida executed the first post-Gregg non-voluntary death sentence in 1979 with John Spenkelink. The state transitioned from hanging to electrocution in 1923, and later to lethal injection after problematic electrocution cases in the 1990s [4].
Thus, Florida's current trend in executions continues a complex legacy of capital punishment marked by legal controversy, increasing activity, and evolving methods.
References:
[1] Death Penalty Information Center. (2025). Executions in the United States. Retrieved from https://deathpenaltyinfo.org/executions-united-states
[2] The Marshall Project. (2025). State Executions in 2025. Retrieved from https://www.themarshallproject.org/data/state-executions-in-2025/
[3] Associated Press. (2021). Florida death row inmate David Pittman set for execution. Retrieved from https://apnews.com/article/florida-execution-david-pittman-death-row-9535f2b16e08c6c214f44689d6944156
[4] Death Penalty Information Center. (2021). Florida. Retrieved from https://deathpenaltyinfo.org/florida
- The escalating number of executions in Florida, notable in the context of war-and-conflicts and general-news, has sparked debates in political circles, centered around concerns over legal fairness and transparency, as well as the adequacy of legal representation and evidence in capital punishment cases.
- Amidst Florida's recent surge in executions and its status as the state with the highest number of executions in the United States in 2025, crime-and-justice discussions have expanded to include scrutiny over the state's history of capital punishment, characterized by legal controversy, increasing activity, and evolving methods.
