"Florida Prepares to Execute Inmate for Nurse's 1988 Hammer Killing"
James Phillip Barnes, a Florida inmate sentenced to death for the 1988 hammer killing of nurse Patricia Miller, is set to be executed after dropping all appeals and expressing readiness to die. Barnes, who was already serving a life sentence for the 1997 murder of his wife, confessed to the nurse's killing and accepted the death penalty. He had a history of criminal convictions and claimed responsibility for other murders, though he was never charged. Barnes converted to Islam in prison and sought to clear his conscience during Ramadan. The execution marks the fifth in Florida this year.
