Dusty Ray Spencer, who was convicted in 1993 of stabbing his wife to death in front of her son, was executed on Thursday evening by the state of Florida. Photo by Florida Department of Corrections
June 25 (UPI) -- Florida executed 74-year-old Dusty Ray Spencer on Thursday evening for the 1992 stabbing death of his wife, the state's ninth execution of 2026.
Spencer, who was convicted in 1993 of stabbing his wife, Karen, to death in their backyard in front of her son, is now the oldest person executed in Florida's history, Florida Today and WPBF reported.
"The sentence of the state of Florida v. Inmate Dusty R. Spencer was carried out at 6:10 p.m. EST," the Florida Department of Corrections said in a statement.
Attorneys for Spencer had argued in court that his death by lethal injection should be canceled because he is a "sick old man," and an advocacy group further said that the way lethal injection drugs could interact with a liver condition could make it a cruel punishment.
