Curtis Wilkie Beasley, a 77-year-old man sentenced to death for the murder of a woman in Florida in 1995, offered a brief apology before his execution by lethal injection.
"I want to apologize for all the wrongs I have done," Beasley stated when the warden asked if he wished to make a final statement, according to the Associated Press, which witnessed the execution.
Beasley was put to death on September 29 at the Florida State Prison near Starke. The execution chamber curtain was drawn open at 6:00 p.m., revealing Beasley strapped to a gurney with a spiritual advisor by his side.
Following his last words, the administration of a three-drug protocol began. Beasley was pronounced dead at 6:12 p.m.
The man had been convicted of first-degree murder, robbery, and grand theft auto in the death of Carolyn Monfort, which took place in 1995 in Polk County, south of Orlando.
Case records indicate that Beasley was temporarily staying at Monfort's residence while doing maintenance work at a nearby apartment complex.
The victim's daughter went to the house after being unable to reach her mother for two days. She discovered her mother's body in a laundry room. The woman had suffered multiple head injuries, and investigators found a bloodied hammer head wrapped in a towel at the scene.
Authorities later focused their suspicions on Beasley after a neighbor reported seeing him driving Monfort's car.
Beasley initially traveled to Miami and then moved to Alabama, where he was apprehended while working for an electric company under a false identity.
In 1998, a jury found him guilty and recommended the death penalty by a ten-to-two vote. He spent decades on death row.
His attorneys sought to halt the execution, citing his advanced age and cognitive decline among other arguments. The Florida Supreme Court dismissed these claims, and hours before the execution, the U.S. Supreme Court also refused to intervene.
Beasley became the sixteenth person executed in Florida in 2026, and the seventh inmate aged 70 or older to be executed in the state that year.
Execution of Curtis Wilkie Beasley: Key Questions
What were Curtis Wilkie Beasley's last words before his execution?
Curtis Wilkie Beasley's last words were a brief apology, saying, "I want to apologize for all the wrongs I have done."
Why was Curtis Wilkie Beasley sentenced to death?
Beasley was sentenced to death for the first-degree murder of Carolyn Monfort in 1995, along with charges of robbery and grand theft auto.
How did the authorities link Beasley to the murder?
Authorities focused on Beasley after a neighbor reported seeing him drive Monfort's car, and he was later found using a false identity in Alabama.