ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — A Florida man convicted of killing two women whose bodies were found in a rural pond in 1996 is scheduled to be put to death in October under a death warrant signed by Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis, who continues to set a record pace for executions.

Samuel Lee Smithers, 72, is scheduled to die by lethal injection Oct. 14 at Florida State Prison. Smithers would be the 14th person set for execution in Florida in 2025, with DeSantis overseeing more executions in a single year than any other Florida governor since the death penalty was reinstated in 1976.

DeSantis signed the death warrant Friday night, just a few days before the scheduled execution Wednesday of David Joseph Pittman. Another convicted killer, Victor Tony Jones, is set to die on Sept. 30.

In the Smithers

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