A convicted murderer became the oldest prisoner executed in Florida’s modern history Thursday evening when officials administered a lethal injection to 74-year-old Dusty Ray Spencer at the state prison facility near Starke. Spencer was pronounced dead at 6:10 p.m. following his conviction for the 1992 fatal stabbing of his wife, Karen Spencer. The execution marks the ninth death sentence carried out in Florida during 2026, continuing an unprecedented pace of capital punishment in the state. Officials reported Spencer’s final words included an apology to the victim’s family and a prayer before the three-drug protocol took effect.
Spencer’s execution surpasses the previous age record held by two inmates who were both 72 at the time of their deaths. Samuel Lee Smithers was executed in October 2025 for killing two women in 1996, while R. Charlie Gifford was put to death in February 1951 for the shooting of state Representative Charles Schuh Jr. the previous year, according to Florida Department of Correction records dating back to 1924. The oldest person executed anywhere in the United States in recent decades was Walter Leroy Moody Jr., who was 83 when Alabama carried out his death sentence in 2018 for mail bombings that killed a federal judge and a civil rights attorney.
The crime and decades-long legal process
The case originated in January 1992 when Spencer launched a violent attack on his wife at their home. Authorities arrested Spencer in December 1991 after he choked and threatened to kill Karen Spencer. While incarcerated, he telephoned his wife and warned he would complete the assault upon his release. On January 18, 1992, Spencer struck Karen’s teenage son with a clothes iron when the boy tried to intervene during an attack on his mother. Approximately one week later, the situation escalated to a fatal conclusion.
The victim’s son discovered Spencer beating his mother in the head with a brick outside their residence. The teenager attempted to shoot Spencer with a rifle, but the weapon misfired. Spencer then threatened the young man with a knife, forcing him to flee and seek help. When police officers arrived at the scene, they found Karen Spencer deceased with multiple stab wounds to her chest. The family declined to release a statement following the execution.
Legal appeals and sentencing history
A jury convicted Spencer in November 1992 on multiple charges related to the violent incident:
- First-degree murder of Karen Spencer
- Attempted first-degree murder of her teenage son
- Aggravated assault with a deadly weapon
- Aggravated battery causing bodily harm
The original trial resulted in a death sentence in 1992, but the Florida Supreme Court ordered new sentencing proceedings two years later. The appellate court determined the trial court had improperly evaluated aggravating and mitigating circumstances during the penalty phase. Spencer received a second death sentence in 1995, and subsequent appeals at both state and federal levels were denied over the following three decades.
Florida’s accelerating execution schedule
The state executed 19 individuals in 2025, establishing a new single-year record since the restoration of capital punishment in 1976. That total exceeded Florida’s previous records of eight executions in both 1984 and 2014. Florida also led the nation in executions last year, surpassing Texas, which has historically dominated capital punishment statistics. Alabama, Texas, and South Carolina each carried out five executions in 2025, tying for second place nationally. Across the United States, 47 people were executed during the year.
Another 74-year-old Florida inmate, Dennis Sochor, is scheduled for execution on July 14, 2026. Sochor was convicted of killing a woman in the early hours of New Year’s Day 1982, just after meeting her at a New Year’s Eve celebration. If carried out, that execution would match the age record Spencer set this week. The pace of executions reflects Florida’s current approach to capital punishment, with state officials processing death row cases at a rate not seen in decades.
Final moments and execution procedure
When prison officials asked Spencer if he had final words, he addressed the victim’s family with an apology before reciting a brief prayer. “Sorry, sorry to the family. Into thy hands I commit my spirit and my soul. I’m on my way, Lord. I’m on my way. Amen,” Spencer stated moments before the lethal injection began. After a few minutes, Spencer exhibited labored breathing before ceasing all movement. The warden attempted to rouse him by shaking his body and calling his name multiple times without receiving any response. A medical professional then examined Spencer and officially pronounced him dead.
The execution concluded more than 34 years of legal proceedings following the murder conviction. Last week, the Florida Supreme Court rejected Spencer’s final state appeals, and the U.S. Supreme Court denied a last-minute federal appeal earlier Thursday, clearing the way for the sentence to be carried out as scheduled.
