A man convicted of fatally stabbing his cousin's girlfriend and her 4-year-old daughter was executed in Florida on Thursday evening. Richard Knight, 47, was pronounced dead at 6:13 p.m. Eastern Time following a three-drug injection at Florida State Prison near Starke. This marks the seventh execution in Florida this year, following a record 19 executions in 2025 under Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis.
Knight was convicted of two counts of first-degree murder in the June 2002 killings of Odessia Stephens and her daughter, Hanessia Mullings. Prosecutors alleged that Knight stabbed Stephens after she told him to move out of their shared Coral Springs home. He then attacked the child. Knight confessed the killings to another inmate while in custody, and the Florida Supreme Court denied his final appeals last week.
Execution Details
The execution began at 6:00 p.m. after Knight made a final statement thanking 'Yahweh, who is the most high.' He closed his eyes as the drugs were administered and was declared dead about 10 minutes later.
Background and Legal Context
Knight had been living with his cousin, Stephens, and their daughter in Coral Springs. Tensions escalated after Stephens told him to leave. The killings occurred while his cousin was at work. Knight's confession to another inmate was a key piece of evidence in his trial. The Florida Supreme Court upheld his convictions and death sentence in recent appeals.
State Execution Trends
Florida has seen a significant increase in executions under DeSantis, with 19 in 2025—the most in a single year since the death penalty was reinstated in 1976. The previous record was eight executions in 2014. This year's executions include Knight's case, making it the seventh so far.