Florida extends execution record after man convicted of triple murder dies by lethal injection

A Florida man convicted of killing his girlfriend her mother and a man he commented owed him money more than years ago was put to death on Thursday extending the record number of executions carried out in the Sunshine State to so far this year Curtis Windom died by lethal injection at p m at Florida State Prison near Starke on Thursday according to The Associated Press He was convicted in the Nov killings of his girlfriend Valerie Davis her mother Mary Lubin and Johnnie Lee who he claimed owed him Windom's face was covered by a sheet when the curtain was raised to the death chamber shortly before the injection was set to begin The AP released When the drugs were administered he began taking deep breaths and his legs twitched several times before he stopped moving Davis' sister Kemene Hunter wore a T-shirt to a news conference following the execution that read Justice for her healing for me FLORIDA EXECUTES MAN FOR MURDER OF INSURANCE OFFICE WORKER ABDUCTED FROM OFFICE All I want to say is it took years to get various closure Hunter noted adding that vengeance is mine says the Lord On the day of the three killings a friend informed Windom that Lee had won at a greyhound racetrack according to court records Windom responded to the friend that you're gonna read about me and that he planned to kill the man who owed him money Windom went to a Walmart and purchased a -caliber revolver and a box of shells according to court testimony A short time later Windom drove in search of Lee and shot him twice in the back from his car before firing two more shots standing at close range After that killing Windom went to Davis' apartment and shot and killed her in front of a friend with no provocation court records presented Windom then shot and wounded another man before fatally shooting Davis' mother in her car at a stop sign as she drove to her daughter's apartment He was sentenced to death for the three murders and given a -year sentence for the attempted murder FLORIDA SCHEDULES EXECUTION FOR MAN WHO KILLED ESTRANGED WIFE'S FAMILY SET HOUSE ON FIREDavis was the mother of one of Windom's children who had sought to stop her father's execution Forgiveness comes with time and years is a long time Curtisia Windom disclosed in a report I myself have forgiven my father Relatives and friends of the three murder casualties also circulated a joint message saying that they still loved and cared for Windom and that Florida representatives had recounted them there was nothing they could do to stop the execution they had campaigned to prevent years ago Curtis Windom took the lives of our mother Valerie Davis grandmother Mary Lubin and dear family friend Johnny Lee the comment declared Whether the events of that day made us the surviving casualties of a violent crime the relatives of a person facing execution or both we have all lived our lives wearing a label that the state of Florida decided should define and divide us We haven t allowed that to happen though We have continued to love and care for each other teaching our children that there is no use in punishing the numerous for the acts of the meager Preponderance of all we have continued to love and care for Curtis it continued We have celebrated graduations and weddings over the phone We have brought his grandchildren to visit him at Florida State Prison We have built connections despite the visitation glass and cell bars We have forgiven him The comment added that they will continue to reject the labels that we were given We are heartbroken that the State of Florida didn t listen to our pleas the message revealed And we are committed to continuing to tell our story Windom and his lawyers filed multiple appeals arguing that he was represented by an incompetent lawyer when presenting evidence of mental healthcare struggles Windom's final appeal was rejected by the U S Supreme Court on Wednesday Forgiveness and healing do not come from a lethal injection in the death chamber They come from the families decades of conversations visits and phone calls with Curtis where he demonstrated remorse and redemption Floridians for Alternatives to the Death Penalty noted in a comment They come from Curtis building new relationships with the people he has so deeply hurt They come from showing a new generation of Windoms that there is a hope for a less violent future His execution tonight stopped that healing in its tracks and replaced it with new pain Governor DeSantis does not speak for all casualties families the group added Tonight s execution wasn t about justice It was about flexing political muscle Windom's execution extends Florida's record this year following numerous death warrants signed by Republican Gov Ron DeSantis The state's th execution this year is set for Sept The Sunshine State has executed more people this year than any other state with Texas and South Carolina tied for the second-most with four each Across the U S people have been executed so far in The Associated Press contributed to this description