Florida Man Scheduled for Execution Thursday in 2000 Double Murder
Richard Knight, 47, is set to receive a lethal injection at Florida State Prison on May 21, 2026. The execution would be the state's seventh of the year. Knight was convicted in 2006 of killing his cousin's girlfriend and her four-year-old daughter.
abcnews.go.comA Florida man convicted of fatally stabbing his cousin's girlfriend and the couple's four-year-old daughter is scheduled to be executed Thursday evening. m. at Florida State Prison near Starke. Knight was sentenced to death after being convicted of two counts of first-degree murder in 2006 for the deaths of Odessia Stephens and her daughter, Hanessia Mullings.
According to court records, Knight had been living in Coral Springs with his cousin, the cousin's girlfriend and their daughter in June 2000. Knight and Stephens frequently argued about Knight living there. One evening while Knight's cousin was at work, Stephens told Knight that he would need to move out the next morning.
Knight became angry and stabbed Stephens multiple times and then attacked the young girl, officials said. While being held at the Broward County Jail following his arrest, Knight confessed the killings to another inmate, who testified against Knight during his trial.
The Florida Supreme Court denied Knight's appeals last Friday.
The court rejected his claim of newly discovered evidence, pointing out that an unidentified fingerprint found on a knife at the murder scene was known about and addressed during Knight's original trial. The court also rejected claims based on Florida's execution protocols and warrant process. S.
Supreme Court. All Florida executions are carried out via lethal injection of a sedative, a paralytic and a drug that stops the heart, according to the Department of Corrections. The state recorded 19 executions in 2025, the highest annual total since the death penalty was reinstated in 1976.
Key Facts
Story Timeline
4 events- June 2000
Richard Knight stabbed Odessia Stephens and her four-year-old daughter in Coral Springs.
1 source@ABC - 2006
Knight was convicted of two counts of first-degree murder and sentenced to death.
1 source@ABC - May 15, 2026
The Florida Supreme Court denied Knight's appeals.
1 source@ABC - May 21, 2026
Knight is scheduled to receive a lethal injection at 6 p.m. at Florida State Prison.
1 source@ABC
Potential Impact
- 01
Florida will have conducted seven executions in 2026 if the sentence is carried out.
- 02
The U.S. Supreme Court may rule on Knight's final appeal before the scheduled time.
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