Florida to execute a prisoner who killed his cellmate in hopes of getting a death sentence

MIAMI (AP) — A Florida prisoner who claimed he killed his cellmate so he could be moved to death row is set to be executed Tuesday, nearly 18 years after the fatal attack.James Robertson, 63, pleaded guilty to first-degree murder and waived all appeals in the 2008 strangling of Frank Hart. Robertson is set to receive a three-drug injection at Florida State Prison near Starke starting at noon.Robertson was supposed to be one of two executions carried out by Florida on Tuesday, but Gov. Ron DeSantis withdrew a death warrant last week for William Lee Thompson.

The Republican governor did not provide a reason for withdrawing Thompson’s death warrant but had temporarily stayed his execution last month pending a psychiatric evaluation.Records show that this is the first time DeSantis has withdrawn a death warrant, which does not technically change Thompson’s sentence. He will remain on death row, and a new death warrant could be signed for him in the future.Robertson's execution comes at a time of escalating attention on the death penalty in the U.S. In Tennessee, Christa Pike survived an execution attempt two weeks ago despite receiving two lethal doses of pentobarbital.

And last week, the Pentagon announced that the firing squad execution of Fort Hood shooter Nidal Malik Hasan would be livestreamed.Florida Department of Corrections spokesperson Jordan Kirkland was asked at a press conference early Tuesday how the state planned to make sure what happened to Pike in Tennessee wouldn't happen in Florida.“Florida has a sound lethal injection process and protocol,” Kirkland said, noting he can’t speak to Tennessee’s lethal injection procedure. “We are very committed to carrying that out in a humane and dignified manner.”All Florida executions are carried out via lethal injection of a sedative, a paralytic and a drug that stops the heart, according to the Department of Corrections.Robertson wanted to be executedAccording to court records, Robertson was incarcerated at Charlotte Correctional Institution, north of Fort Myers, in December 2008 when he tied several socks together and strangled Hart while the other man slept. Robertson told investigators that the attack was unprovoked and that he killed his cellmate so that he would be sentenced to death, rather than having to live out his days in prison.Robertson was 17 years old when he went to prison in 1980 for burgla…

A Florida prisoner who said he killed his cellmate to get to death row is set to be executed Tuesday, nearly 18 years later.