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Man who was working in a church when he murdered two women utters two-word final statement before his execution
Samuel Lee Smithers, a 72-year-old man convicted of murdering two women nearly three decades ago, was executed in Florida on October 14, 2025. Known as the "Deacon of Death," Smithers was put to death by lethal injection at Florida State Prison after uttering a two-word final statement.
His execution follows the brutal killings of Christy Cowan and Denise Roach, which took place in May 1996.
At the time of the murders, Smithers worked as a church deacon and also maintained the grounds of a 27-acre property in Plant City, Florida. On May 28, 1996, Smithers met Cowan and Roach at a Tampa motel to pay them for sex. Later that day, a property owner discovered Smithers cleaning an ax near a pool of blood, leading authorities to find the women's bodies in a nearby pond. Both victims had been beaten, strangled, and left to die in the water.
Florida sets new execution record
Smithers’ execution marked Florida's 14th execution of 2025, setting a new record for the state. Despite his age and the claim by his attorneys that executing him would violate the U.S. Constitution's prohibition on cruel and unusual punishment, the Florida Supreme Court denied his appeal. The U.S. Supreme Court also rejected a final appeal without comment.
Smithers’ execution followed a routine procedure, with him being strapped to the execution table at 6:00PM. When asked for a final statement, Smithers said per NBC, "No sir." After the lethal injection was administered, Smithers exhibited signs of heavy breathing and slight convulsions before being declared dead at 6:15PM.
Legal challenges and future executions in Florida
Despite Smithers' appeal, the Florida Supreme Court upheld the death penalty, ruling that age alone does not exempt someone from execution. The state is scheduled for two more executions later this year, further extending its record for 2025.
On October 28, 65-year-old Norman Mearle Grim Jr. will be executed for the 1998 murder of his neighbor, and on November 13, 66-year-old Bryan Fredrick Jennings will be executed for the abduction and murder of a six-year-old girl in 1979.