The Florida Supreme Court has denied Dusty Ray Spencer’s appeal, upholding his death sentence for the murder of his wife, Karen Spencer, in 1992.
Background
Spencer, now 74, was convicted of first-degree murder and other charges. The court records show a pattern of violence in the weeks leading up to Karen’s death, including choking and hitting her, and threatening to harm her and their teenage son, Timothy Johnson.
On January 18, 1992, Spencer attacked Karen with a brick in their backyard, stabbing her multiple times as she begged him to stop. Timothy tried to intervene, but his rifle misfired, and he was forced to hit Spencer with the rifle butt instead.
Appeal Denied
Spencer claimed that the state’s lethal injection process was not being followed properly and that his age and health issues made it cruel and unusual punishment. However, the court ruled that these arguments came too late and did not hold up on the facts or the law.
The execution is set for June 25, following a death warrant signed by Governor Ron DeSantis on May 26.
Original reporting: Tampa Free Press — read the source article.
