Florida executes man convicted in quadruple murder

Florida on Thursday executed a man convicted of fatally stabbing his young daughter, ex-wife and two of her relatives in a jealous rampage 30 years ago, marking the state's second execution this year.

Jerry Correll, 59, died by lethal injection at 7:36 p.m. (2336 GMT) in the execution chamber at Florida State Prison, Department of Corrections spokesman McKinley Lewis said.

The execution was delayed some 90 minutes by a petition for a stay of execution, which the U.S. Supreme Court denied with two of the nine justices, Stephen Breyer and Sonia Sotomayor, publicly dissenting.

Breyer wrote that Correll's case should have been halted while the Supreme Court consider a challenge to Florida's sentencing procedures in capital cases, and that the court should weigh whether his 30 years in prison under sentence of death amounts to cruel and unusual punishment.

Correll's execution was originally set for February but was delayed as the U.S. Supreme Court weighed a challenge to the drug midazolam, a sedative used during the state's lethal injection protocol.

The high court cleared the drug for use in a 5-4 ruling in June, finding midazolam did not violate the U.S. Constitution's ban on cruel and unusual punishment in a challenge brought by three Oklahoma death row inmates.

Correll's attorneys subsequently argued in state court that the drug would have a uniquely cruel impact on him because of his history of brain damage and drug use.

A state circuit judge ruled against Correll in August and the Florida Supreme Court earlier this month lifted a stay on his execution.

Correll had no apparent reaction to the drugs, such as signs of pain or other suffering, and made no final statement, Lewis said. His final meal of choice was a cheeseburger.

He was also found guilty of fatally stabbing Mary Lou Hines, 48, his ex-wife's mother, and Marybeth Jones, 29, her sister, before fleeing the home.

Investigators said Correll, who was married to Susan Correll from 1978 to 1983, was angry because she had begun dating again.

Correll's execution marked the 22nd in five years under Florida Republican Governor Rick Scott, surpassing the 21 executions conducted in eight years under former Governor Jeb Bush, who is now seeking the Republican presidential nomination.