Florida Murderer Becomes Third Executed In U.S. In 24 Hours

STARKE, Fla. (AP) — Florida has executed a man who fatally stabbed his wife and her young son in 1985.

It is the third U.S. execution in less than 24 hours since a botched April lethal injection in Oklahoma.

The governor’s office says John Ruthell Henry was pronounced dead at 7:43 p.m. Wednesday.

The 63-year-old was convicted and sentenced to death for fatally stabbing his wife, Suzanne Henry.

He also was convicted of fatally stabbing Suzanne Henry’s 5-year-old son hours after the woman’s murder.

Henry previously had pleaded no contest to second-degree murder for stabbing his common-law wife, Patricia Roddy, in 1976. He served less than eight years and was released in 1983.

The U.S. Supreme Court turned down a last-second appeal by attorneys who argued Henry wasn’t mentally stable enough to comprehend his death sentence.

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