Overview
- Gov. Ron DeSantis signed Spencer’s death warrant on May 26, and the execution is set for Thursday, June 25, with his lawyers still pursuing last-minute appeals.
- Spencer was convicted in 1992 of stabbing his wife, Karen, to death in Orange County and has spent more than 30 years on death row after multiple unsuccessful appeals.
- Friends and death-penalty opponents say Spencer’s advanced age, poor health and claimed long-term change argue against carrying out the sentence.
- State officials, including the attorney general, say Florida must enforce court sentences for violent crimes and note Spencer will be the ninth person executed in the state this year.
- The case is sharpening wider debate over Florida’s use of capital punishment by highlighting the state’s recent rise in executions and research showing death-row cases cost more to house and litigate than life sentences.