A man who killed two women nearly three decades ago has been executed on death row. Samuel Lee Smithers, 72, received a lethal injection at Florida State Prison for the murders of Christy Cowan and Denise Roach in 1996. Their bodies were found beaten and strangled in a pond.
Smithers was the 14th person executed in Florida this year, setting a record for the state. He passed away swiftly after the injection without making any final statements. Florida plans to conduct two more executions in the coming months.
The court heard that Smithers met the victims at a motel in Tampa to pay for sex. The property owner, who knew Smithers as a Baptist deacon, discovered suspicious activities leading to the discovery of the bodies. Smithers’ appeal based on his age was rejected, and the Supreme Court declined his final appeal.
In total, 35 men have been executed in the United States this year.