Man convicted of killing a woman and her 4-year-old daughter is executed
in Florida
[May 22, 2026]
STARKE, Fla. (AP) — A Florida man convicted of fatally
stabbing his cousin’s girlfriend and the couple's 4-year-old daughter
was put to death Thursday evening, the seventh person executed by the
state this year.
Richard Knight, 47, was pronounced dead at 6:13 p.m. following a
three-drug injection at Florida State Prison near Starke. Knight was
convicted of first-degree murder in the June 2002 killings of Odessia
Stephens and the couple's daughter, Hanessia Mullings.
When the death chamber curtain went up at the scheduled 6 p.m. execution
time, Knight was already strapped down with arms extended and an IV line
in place. Asked by the warden if he had a final statement, Knight said,
“I want to give thanks to Yahweh, who is the most high."
The execution began immediately afterward. Knight closed his eyes and
barely moved as the drugs began flowing. After about 10 minutes, a medic
was called in and Knight was declared dead.
Florida's seventh execution of the year followed a record 19 executions
in the state 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 was
eight in 2014. And all told, a total of 47 people were executed in the
U.S. in 2025.
According to court records, Knight had been living in Coral Springs,
near Fort Lauderdale, with his cousin, his cousin's girlfriend and their
daughter in 2000. Knight and Stephens frequently argued about Knight
living there. One evening while Knight's cousin was at work, Stephens
told Knight he would have to move out the next morning. Knight became
angry and stabbed Stephens multiple times and then attacked the young
girl, the records show.
Hans Mullings, who was Stephen’s boyfriend and the father of the
4-year-old, told reporters after witnessing Thursday's execution that
his family still grieves the loss.
“The pain never leaves,” Mullings said. “We love them still, and we
can’t stop loving them. We miss them a lot.”
Stephen's sisters and mother didn’t attend the execution, but provided a
statement expressing closure.
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“Words cannot express the profound sense of peace and finality we
feel today," it said. "While this does not fill the empty space in
our hearts, the closing of this long, painful chapter allows us to
fully focus on honoring the beautiful lives of Odessia and Hanessia.”
“Richard, may our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ grant you the mercy
you failed to give our loved ones whom you so brutally took from us
that night,” the statement added.
On Thursday, the U.S. Supreme Court rejected Knight’s final appeal
without comment.
That came shortly after the planned execution of a Tennessee inmate,
Tony Carruthers, was called off. Tennessee officials said a team
quickly established Carruthers' main IV line for a lethal injection
but couldn't find a suitable vein for a backup line required under
the state's execution protocol. Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee later
announced the state would not try again for at least a year to
execute Carruthers, who was convicted of killing three people.
Also this week, an Arizona prisoner convicted of killing another man
by throwing gasoline at him and lighting a match was put to death
Wednesday. Leroy Dean McGill, 63, received a lethal injection at the
Arizona State Prison Complex in Florence for the death of Charles
Perez, who was attacked at a north Phoenix apartment in 2002.
Florida, meanwhile, is preparing to conduct another execution on
June 2. Andrew Richard Lukehart, 53, was convicted of fatally
beating of his girlfriend's infant daughter in 1996. All Florida
executions are by lethal injection of a sedative, a paralytic and a
drug that stops the heart, officials say.
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