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FLORIDA - The U.S. Supreme Court has declined to hear the final appeal of Florida Death Row inmate James Ford, clearing the way for his scheduled execution on Thursday.
On Wednesday, the Supreme Court rejected a stay of execution and refused to consider Ford's appeal, offering no explanation for its decision.
Governor Ron DeSantis had previously signed Ford's death warrant on January 10th, setting the execution for February 13th at 6 p.m. at Florida State Prison.
Ford, 64, was convicted and sentenced to death for the 1997 murders of Greg and Kimberly Malnory at a sod farm in Charlotte County, where he and Greg Malnory were employed.
The couple was found bludgeoned and shot, with evidence indicating that Kimberly had also been sexually assaulted.
Their 22-month-old daughter was discovered in the family's truck, exposed to the elements and covered in her mother's blood.
In efforts to prevent the execution, Ford's attorneys argued that he possessed the mental and developmental capacity of a 14-year-old at the time of the offenses, despite being 36.
They referenced the 2005 U.S. Supreme Court decision in Roper v. Simmons, which prohibits the execution of individuals who were under 18 at the time of their crimes, asserting that executing Ford would violate the Eighth Amendment's ban on cruel and unusual punishment.
The Florida Attorney General's Office countered this argument, stating that there is no legal precedent extending the Roper decision to individuals over 18 at the time of their offenses.
Both a Charlotte County circuit judge and the Florida Supreme Court have previously denied appeals from Ford's legal team.
If the execution proceeds, it will be Florida's first in 2025, following a year in which the state carried out one execution.
In 2023, Florida executed six inmates after a three-year hiatus.