Context:

A 70-year-old man convicted of beating and choking his 13-year-old step-niece to death nearly five decades ago is set to be Florida’s sixth execution of 2026, with a three-drug lethal injection planned at 6 p.m. at Florida State Prison in Starke. The case centers on the 1976 killing of Cynthia Driggers, which led to multiple resentencing years after an initial 1977 death sentence. Florida’s recent pace under Gov. DeSantis has produced a record number of executions in prior years, influencing the state’s status in the broader capital-punishment landscape. The ongoing legal process included denied appeals and a final U.S. Supreme Court challenge before the scheduled execution. A separate Florida case and a Texas execution on the same day highlight a broader wave of capital cases in the region.

Dive Deeper:

• James Ernest Hitchcock, now 70, is scheduled for execution for the July 31, 1976 murder of Cynthia Driggers, a 13-year-old step-niece, after returning to the family home following a night of drinking and marijuana use.

• According to investigators, Hitchcock raped Driggers, then beat and choked her, and later left her in nearby bushes; he reportedly recounted how he initially took the blame to protect his brother, who he claimed attacked the girl after their encounter.

• Hitchcock was originally sentenced to death in 1977 for first-degree murder, but his sentence was revised multiple times—resentenced in 1988, 1993, and 1996—before reaching the current execution date.

• Florida Supreme Court denied a recent appeal to halt the execution, and a final appeal was pending before the U.S. Supreme Court as of late stage court filings.

• Florida executions are carried out by lethal injection using a three-drug protocol, and the state has seen a surge in death warrants signed under Governor DeSantis, contributing to the year’s execution trajectory.

• The day’s broader context includes another Texas execution and a Florida case slated for May 21, illustrating a cluster of capital cases in the region, with national parallels from the prior year’s record number of executions.