Richard Knight, 47, was executed Thursday evening at Florida State Prison near Starke for the fatal stabbings of Odessia Stephens and her 4-year-old daughter, Hanessia Mullings, in June 2000. He was pronounced dead at 6:13 p.m. Eastern Time following a three-drug lethal injection.
According to CBS News, the curtain of the death chamber went up at the scheduled 6:00 p.m. execution time, with Knight already strapped down, arms extended and an IV line in place. When the warden asked if he wished to make a final statement, Knight declared, "I want to give thanks to Yahweh, who is the most high." The execution began immediately after. Knight closed his eyes and barely moved as the drugs entered his system. After about 10 minutes, a medic was called in and he was declared dead.
Knight had been living in Coral Springs, near Fort Lauderdale, with his cousin, Stephens, and the couple's daughter in June 2000. Court records show that Knight and Stephens frequently argued about his living in the home. One evening while Knight's cousin was at work, Stephens told Knight he would need to move out the next morning. Knight became angry, stabbed Stephens multiple times, and then attacked the child.
While held at the Broward County Jail following his arrest, Knight confessed to the killings to a fellow inmate, who later testified against him at trial. He was convicted on two counts of first-degree murder.
The Florida Supreme Court denied Knight's appeals last Friday, rejecting a claim of newly discovered evidence. The court pointed out that an unidentified fingerprint found on a knife at the murder scene had been known about and addressed during the original trial. The court also rejected claims based on Florida's execution protocols and warrant process. A separate appeal was still pending before the U.S. Supreme Court at the time of his execution.
Thursday's execution was Florida's seventh this year, following a state record 19 executions in 2025. Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis oversaw more executions in a single year in 2025 than any other Florida governor since the death penalty was reinstated in 1976. The previous record had been eight, set in 2014. Florida led the nation in executions in 2025, with Alabama, South Carolina, and Texas each carrying out five. The national total for 2025 was 47.
All Florida executions are carried out using a three-drug combination of a sedative, a paralytic, and a drug that stops the heart, according to the state Department of Corrections.
Another execution is scheduled in Florida on June 2. Andrew Richard Lukehart, 53, was convicted of fatally beating his girlfriend's infant daughter in 1996.
