politics
Florida Executes 74-Year-Old Dennis Sochor for 1982 Murder
Dennis Sochor received a lethal injection at Florida State Prison and was pronounced dead at 6:16 p.m. on July 14, 2026. He became the oldest death row inmate executed in the state's modern history.
Jul 15, 2:17 AM·1m read1 source
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Florida executed Dennis Sochor by lethal injection on July 14, 2026, at Florida State Prison near Starke. New York Post reported that Sochor, 74, was pronounced dead at 6:16 p.m. after a three-drug injection.
He became the oldest death row inmate executed in Florida’s modern history. Sochor was convicted in 1987 of first-degree murder and kidnapping in the death of 18-year-old Patricia Gifford. Court records show he met Gifford at a New Year’s Eve party hours before the January 1, 1982, killing.
Sochor’s brother told police that Sochor was responsible, and Sochor confessed on tape to choking Gifford and disposing of her body. The U.S. Supreme Court rejected Sochor’s final appeal without comment on the day of the execution.
Sochor was already strapped to a gurney when the curtain rose at 6 p.m. He apologized to the Gifford family, said he was “deeply sorry,” thanked his loved ones, and commended his spirit to Jesus Christ before the drugs began flowing at 6:03 p.m.
A medic pronounced him dead at 6:14 p.m. after the warden received no response. Marilyn Gifford, Patricia’s sister, said after the execution that Sochor had 45 years to return the remains but chose not to, and that the family never got to lay her to rest.
Florida executed 74-year-old Dusty Ray Spencer on June 25, 2026, for killing his wife. Dominick Anthony Occhicone, 80, is scheduled for execution on July 28, 2026. New York Post reported that Florida has carried out 10 of the 16 executions conducted in the United States in 2026.
