James Robertson, 63, was executed in Florida on Tuesday after strangling his cellmate in 2008 to secure a death sentence. Robertson died at Florida State Prison approximately 10 minutes after receiving a three-drug lethal injection, declining to offer a final statement beyond the remark, "Nah, I’m straight."
The execution followed a period of heightened activity for the state's death penalty system. Jordan Kirkland, a spokesperson for the Florida Department of Corrections, stated ahead of the execution that Florida maintains a "sound lethal injection process and protocol" and would ensure the procedure was "humane and dignified." This assurance came two weeks after the botched execution of Christa Pike in Tennessee, who survived two doses of pentobarbital and was subsequently released from a hospital to return to prison.
Robertson had pleaded guilty to first-degree murder for killing Frank Hart while Hart slept. Hart was eight days away from his scheduled release at the time of the murder. Robertson, who entered prison at age 17 in 1980 for burglary and assault, waived all appeals and told investigators he killed Hart to avoid serving the remainder of his life behind bars. Rebecca Hart, Frank Hart's daughter, told reporters outside the prison that her father was not merely a component of Robertson's story. She noted that while the world continues moving after such a violent loss, those left behind carry that loss into every day.
The state had originally planned to carry out a double execution on Tuesday. However, Republican Governor Ron DeSantis withdrew the death warrant for William Lee Thompson, 74, last week. Thompson was sentenced to death for his role in the 1976 kidnapping and killing of 23-year-old Sally Ivester. DeSantis did not provide a specific reason for the withdrawal but had previously stayed Thompson's execution pending a psychiatric evaluation due to concerns regarding his mental competency and deteriorating health. Thompson's attorneys assert that he suffers from dementia and require him to be transferred to a medical facility.
This marked the first time DeSantis withdrew a death warrant. Thompson will remain on death row, though a new warrant could be signed in the future. He is the third individual for whom DeSantis has signed a death warrant; former Governors Bob Graham and Bob Martinez had previously scheduled his execution in the 1980s, which was avoided through appeals and stays.
Florida's execution pace has accelerated under DeSantis since 2025. The governor oversaw a record 19 executions last year, accounting for approximately 40% of the U.S. total for 2025. Nationally, 47 executions were carried out last year, the highest annual total since 2009. In 2026, Florida has carried out more than half of the 31 total executions in the country so far. Robertson's execution brings the state's total for 2026 to 17. Two additional executions are already scheduled: William Reaves, 77, is set for October 20, and Jesse Guardado, 64, is set for November 5.