Florida Man Executed for Triple Murder and Arson
David Pittman, a 63-year-old Florida man, was executed by lethal injection on Wednesday evening at Florida State Prison for the murders of his estranged wife’s sister and parents, as well as setting their house on fire in 1990. According to the Department of Corrections, Pittman was pronounced dead at 6:12 p.m.
The execution marked the 12th in Florida this year, the most in a single year since the state reinstated the death penalty. It was also the 31st execution in the U.S. in 2025. Governor Ron DeSantis, a Republican, has signed more death warrants this year than any of his predecessors, with two additional executions already scheduled in Florida this fall.
Background of the Case
Pittman was sentenced to death in 1991 for the murders of Clarence and Barbara Knowles, both in their 50s, and their 21-year-old daughter Bonnie Knowles. Investigators said Pittman, who was in the midst of a bitter divorce from the Knowles’ other daughter, Marie, had previously threatened the family. Trial testimony showed that he cut the phone line at their Mulberry home before fatally stabbing them, setting the house ablaze, and stealing Bonnie’s car, which he later torched as well.
Jurors convicted Pittman on three counts of first-degree murder, as well as arson and grand theft, recommending the death penalty in a 9-3 vote. His attorneys argued in recent appeals that Pittman suffered from intellectual disabilities, citing an IQ in the low 70s, and claimed his execution would violate constitutional protections against putting to death a person with severe mental impairments.
Execution and Aftermath
Courts rejected those arguments, with the U.S. Supreme Court denying his final appeal on Tuesday. Florida carries out executions using a three-drug injection: a sedative, a paralytic, and a drug that stops the heart. Witnesses reported that the procedure proceeded without complications. The state’s last execution occurred on August 28, when 59-year-old Curtis Windom was put to death for a 1992 triple murder in Orlando.
For more information on this case and others like it, readers can visit the CBS News website for in-depth coverage and analysis. The execution of David Pittman serves as a reminder of the complexities and challenges surrounding the death penalty in the United States.
Image Source: www.cbsnews.com
