Florida Executes Curtis Beasley, Reaching New Milestone in 2026
Posted on09/30/26 at 11:15
- Florida totals 16 executions
- Beasley died by lethal injection
- The United States records 29
Florida executed 77-year-old Curtis Wilkie Beasley on Tuesday, a Army veteran convicted of the 1995 murder of Carolyn Monfort, bringing the state’s total executions in 2026 to 16.
Beasley received a lethal injection at Florida State Prison and was declared dead at 6:12 p.m., also becoming the seventh inmate over 70 to be executed in the state this year.
The case puts Florida back at the center of the national debate over capital punishment: 16 of the 29 executions carried out in the United States in 2026 have taken place in the state.
The execution occurred after the courts rejected the defense’s last attempts to stop it, including arguments related to Beasley’s age and alleged cognitive decline.
Florida Accounts for More Than Half of 2026 Executions
Curtis Wilkie Beasley is dead.
Florida carried out his execution tonight for beating Carolyn Monfort to death with a hammer in 1995, then stealing her car and running. He was pronounced dead at 6:12 p.m.
Florida State Prison, Raiford. Beasley, 77, was pronounced dead at… https://t.co/tfkKg95Vy9 pic.twitter.com/mjClLzcMx1
— Michael Mattox – The Mad Ox (@TheRealMadOx) September 29, 2026
Beasley was sentenced to death in 1998 for the murder of 62-year-old Carolyn Monfort, who died after being attacked with a hammer at her home near Orlando in 1995.
The jury found him guilty of first-degree murder, robbery, and vehicle theft; Beasley was later arrested in Alabama after using a false identity.
The Florida Supreme Court rejected his request to stay the execution on September 22 and determined that his arguments regarding age and cognitive decline did not justify stopping the sentence.
The court noted that the constitutional prohibition related to age protects those who committed capital crimes before turning 18, but does not establish a maximum age limit for an execution.
Florida Maintains Historic Pace of Capital Punishment
The 16 executions carried out in Florida during 2026 represent more than half of the 29 recorded so far in the United States, solidifying the state’s position as the country’s leading executor this year.
The figure comes after a historic 2025: Florida executed 19 people, the highest number recorded by the state in a single year since the modern reinstatement of capital punishment.
This pace also altered national figures. In 2025, the United States recorded 47 executions, and Florida accounted for approximately 40% of the total, according to the Death Penalty Information Center.
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The next scheduled execution in Florida is for William Reaves Jr. on October 20, while other states maintain scheduled dates for the remainder of 2026.
What’s Next After Curtis Beasley’s Execution
The national calendar will continue on Wednesday in Tennessee, where the execution of 50-year-old Christa Gail Pike, convicted of the 1995 murder of Colleen Slemmer, is scheduled.
If carried out, Pike would become the first woman executed by Tennessee in over 200 years and one of the few women subjected to capital punishment in modern American history.
Beasley’s case also stands out due to his age: Florida has executed several inmates over 70 in 2026, while judicial appeals have raised questions about aging and cognitive decline.
With 16 executions in nine months, Florida is once again approaching the record figures recorded just a year ago and keeps the discussion open about the increasing use of the death penalty in the state.