Florida carries out death-row execution of man who killed a 16-year-old ex-girlfriend after five decades

Florida executed Harold Gene Lucas by lethal injection for the 1976 murder of 16-year-old Jill Piper, whom he shot seven times as she begged for mercy; Lucas, 24 at the time, spent 50 years on death row with multiple resentencings before waiving appeals. The case underscores Florida’s aggressive use of the death penalty under Gov. DeSantis and comes during a month poised to be the busiest for executions in 16 years, with eight planned across five states.