Florida man executed for the killing of his brother’s teenage stepdaughter nearly 50 years ago

STARKE, Fla. (AP) — A Florida man convicted of beating and choking his brother’s 13-year-old stepdaughter to death nearly 50 years ago was executed Thursday evening.

James Ernest Hitchcock, 70, was pronounced dead at 6:12 p.m. following a lethal injection at Florida State Prison near Starke. He was convicted of the July 1976 killing of Cynthia Driggers.

The curtain to the death chamber opened promptly at the 6 p.m. execution time. Hitchcock’s entire body was covered in a sheet up to his head. He stared at the ceiling as the team warden made a call, then gave his final statement.

“Just to say goodbye to Joshua my friend. Thanks for all you’ve done,” Hitchcock said without elaborating.

As he spoke, a man in the witness room, raised his hand, and Hitchcock lifted his head to try to see.

Hitchcock blinked rapidly as the drugs began flowing and took several deep breaths. A minute later, his breathing became more shallow and quickly stopped. Minutes into the execution, the team warden briefly flicked Hitchcock‘s face and yelled his name twice and shook his shoulders. Hitchcock didn’t respond, his face slowly turning ashen.

There was no visible reaction from the 28 witnesses nearby. A doctor came in 11 minutes into the execution, checked Hitchcock with a stethoscope and shone a light into his eyes before nodding at the team warden, who declared him dead.

Several members of D...