Florida has executed a 65-year-old man convicted of the 1986 murder of a grocery store owner, marking the state's second execution this year following a record-breaking 19 in 2025. Melvin Trotter was pronounced dead at 6:15 p.m. on Tuesday after receiving a lethal injection at Florida State Prison near Starke.
Details of the Crime and Conviction
Trotter was found guilty of first-degree murder for the stabbing and strangulation of 70-year-old Virgie Langford at her store in Palmetto, near Tampa Bay, on June 16, 1986. According to court records, a truck driver discovered Langford bleeding but alive on the store's back floor, where she provided crucial details about her attacker before succumbing to her injuries at a hospital.
Langford recalled Trotter's physical appearance and noted he wore a Tropicana employee badge bearing the name "Melvin." Police later uncovered a T-shirt matching Langford's blood type at Trotter's residence and identified his handprint on a meat cooler within the store.
Legal Appeals and Final Hours
Initially sentenced to death in 1987, Trotter was resentenced in 1993 after the Florida Supreme Court identified errors in the handling of aggravating factors during his trial. In the hours leading up to his execution, Florida Corrections officials reported that Trotter awoke at 3:20 a.m., received one visitor, and requested a final meal consisting of fish, cornbread, cake, and soda.
His attorneys filed appeals arguing that his advanced age of 65 should exempt him from execution and that officials had mismanaged death penalty protocols, potentially leading to a "mangled" execution in violation of the Eighth Amendment's prohibition on cruel and unusual punishment. Both the Florida Supreme Court and the U.S. Supreme Court denied these appeals on Tuesday.
Broader Context of Executions in Florida
Under Republican Governor Ron DeSantis, Florida conducted 19 executions in 2025, surpassing the previous record of eight set in 2014 and marking the highest number since the death penalty's reinstatement in 1976. Alex Lanfranconi, a spokesman for DeSantis, confirmed that Trotter's execution proceeded without complications.
Justice Sonia Sotomayor of the U.S. Supreme Court raised concerns about Florida's administration of lethal drugs, urging the state to ensure executions are conducted consistently with proper protocols. Florida's execution method involves a three-drug cocktail: a sedative, a paralytic, and a drug that stops the heart.
National and State Execution Trends
In 2025, a total of 47 executions were carried out across the United States, with Florida leading at 19. Alabama, South Carolina, and Texas followed with five executions each. So far in 2026, Florida has executed two individuals, including Trotter and Ronald Palmer Heath, who was put to death on February 10 for a 1989 murder. Texas and Oklahoma have each conducted one execution this year.
Two more Florida executions are scheduled for March: Billy Leon Kearse on March 3 and Michael Lee King on March 17, continuing the state's aggressive use of the death penalty under DeSantis's administration.
