Florida Executes Richard Knight For 2000 Murders Of Woman And Child
Richard Knight, 47, was executed by lethal injection at Florida State Prison near Starke on Thursday, May 21, 2026, and was pronounced dead at 5:13 p.m. Central.[1]
He was convicted of two counts of first-degree murder for the fatal stabbing of Odessia Stephens and her 4-year-old daughter, Hanessia Mullings, in Coral Springs.[1] Prosecutors said the June 2000 killings followed an argument over Knight living in the home.[1] The Florida Supreme Court denied his final appeals on May 15, 2026, rejecting a fingerprint-based "new evidence" claim and challenges to execution procedures.[1] It was Florida's seventh execution of 2026, after the state carried out a record 19 executions in 2025 under Gov. Ron DeSantis.[1]
In June 2000, police say Knight stabbed Stephens and her daughter at their Coral Springs home, an attack that led to his arrest, prosecution and the convictions that ultimately placed him on death row.[1]
Knight's case survived multiple appeals and a last-minute challenge that hinged on new fingerprint analysis, but the Florida Supreme Court rejected those claims days before the execution.[1]
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📌 Key Facts
- Richard Knight, 47, was executed by lethal injection at Florida State Prison near Starke on May 21, 2026, and pronounced dead at 6:13 p.m. Eastern.
- Knight was convicted of two counts of first-degree murder for fatally stabbing Odessia Stephens and her 4-year-old daughter, Hanessia Mullings, in Coral Springs in June 2000 after an argument over his living in the home.
- The Florida Supreme Court denied Knight's final appeals on May 15, 2026, rejecting a fingerprint-based "new evidence" claim and challenges to execution procedures.
- This was Florida's seventh execution of 2026, after the state carried out a record 19 executions in 2025 under Gov. Ron DeSantis.
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