Florida Executes James Robertson, Who Killed Cellmate to Secure Death Row Sentence
James Robertson, 63, was executed by lethal injection in Florida on October 13, 2026, nearly 18 years after strangling his cellmate, Frank Hart, in 2008. Robertson admitted he committed the murder specifically to avoid serving a life sentence and instead receive a death penalty. The execution, which took approximately 10 minutes, was the state’s 17th of 2026 and the first since a botched attempt in Tennessee. Governor Ron DeSantis simultaneously withdrew a death warrant for another inmate, William Lee Thompson, citing mental health concerns.