A Florida man convicted of brutally killing three relatives of his estranged wife more than three decades ago was executed Wednesday evening, marking the state’s record 12th execution of the year.
David Pittman, 63, was pronounced dead at 6:12 p.m. following a lethal injection at Florida State Prison under a death warrant signed by Gov. Ron DeSantis.
“I know you all came to watch an innocent man be murdered by the state of Florida. I am innocent. I didn’t kill anybody. That’s it,” Pittman said in his final statement, according to DeSantis’ spokesperson Alex Lanfranconi. Witnesses reported he took several deep breaths as the drugs were administered before becoming still.
Pittman was sentenced to death in 1991 after a Polk County jury convicted him of stabbing his wife’s parents, Clarence and Barbara Knowles, and their younger daughter, Bonnie Knowles, at their Mulberry home. Prosecutors said Pittman cut the family’s phone line before the attack, set the house on fire, and later torched Bonnie’s car after stealing it. Jurors also found him guilty of arson and grand theft.
The murders came as Pittman and his wife, Marie, were locked in a bitter divorce. Testimony revealed he had previously threatened her family. A witness identified him fleeing from Bonnie’s burning car, and a jailhouse informant testified Pittman confessed while in custody. Jurors voted 9-3 to recommend the death penalty.
Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd, who attended Wednesday’s execution, said Pittman’s punishment was long overdue. “He was evil then. He never changed. This evil man wiped out an entire family,” Judd said.
Pittman’s attorneys had argued in last-minute appeals that he suffered from intellectual disabilities, citing an IQ in the low 70s. They said executing him would violate constitutional protections. Courts rejected those claims, with the U.S. Supreme Court declining his final appeal Tuesday.
This year, 31 people have been executed nationwide, with Florida leading the country. DeSantis has signed more death warrants than any of his predecessors. Two more executions are scheduled in the state this fall: Victor Tony Jones on Sept. 30 and Samuel Lee Smithers on Oct. 14.
Florida uses a three-drug protocol for lethal injections, consisting of a sedative, a paralytic, and a drug that stops the heart.
