Execution date set for man who abducted woman from a Florida insurance office and killed her
Kayle Bates is set to die Aug. 19 in the 10th execution scheduled for this year. DeSantis signed the warrant Friday, just three days after the state executed Michael Bell for fatally shooting two people outside a Florida bar in 1993 as part of an attempted revenge killing.
Bell was the 26th person to die by court-ordered execution so far this year in the U.S., exceeding the 25 executions carried out last year. It is the highest total since 2015, when 28 people were put to death.
Bates, now 67, was convicted of first-degree murder, kidnapping, armed robbery and attempted sexual battery in the June 14, 1982, Bay County killing of Janet White.
Bates abducted White from the State Farm insurance office where she worked, took her into some woods behind the building, attempted to rape her, stabbed her to death, and tore a diamond ring from one of her fingers, according to a letter from Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier summarizing the history of the case.
Bates' attorney, James Driscoll Jr., said in a phone call Saturday that he would be filing further appeals in the case.
'We believe his execution would violate the U.S. constitution,' he said.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
8 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Prosecutors seek to try 17-year-old as an adult in Maine paddleboarder's death
Paddleboarder Death Maine PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — Prosecutors in Maine said Monday they will seek to try a 17-year-old charged with murder in the death of a paddleboarder as an adult. The body of Sunshine 'Sunny' Stewart, 48, of St. George, was found earlier this month on Crawford Pond in Union, about 80 miles (130 kilometers) north of Portland in a part of the state beloved by summer campers and nature lovers. Stewart went missing while paddleboarding before her killing, and her death sent shockwaves through the local community. Police charged Deven Young, of Frankfort, Maine, with murder in the death of Stewart last week. He has been held at a youth detention facility in the Portland area and is due in court for a status conference on Aug. 22. The Office of the Maine Attorney General is moving to bind Young over so he can be tried as an adult, said Danna Hayes, a spokesperson for the office. A judge will need to rule on the request. The motion to try Young as an adult has been impounded by court and is not publicly available, Hayes said. 'Although the court allowed us to release the name of the defendant, all of the other documents remain impounded, so we do not have additional information we can share at this time,' Hayes said. Young made a brief initial court appearance on Friday in which he entered a denial to the charge. His attorney, Jeremy Pratt, declined to comment Monday. If convicted of murder as an adult, Young faces a prison sentence of 25 years to life. A medical examiner determined Stewart's cause of death was strangulation and blunt force trauma, police have said. Authorities have not revealed a motive. Court documents released about the case contain little detail, and Maine State Police have declined to comment beyond announcing the arrest last week. They've said the investigation into Stewart's death is still active. Stewart lived about 21 miles (34 kilometers) from the pond in the Tenants Harbor neighborhood in St. George. Friends of Stewart have described her as a fiercely independent adventurer who was deeply dedicated to her friends. Over the years, she worked as a fisherman, boat captain, carpenter and bartender, among other jobs, friends said. 'She was just a wonderful friend, a really loyal, wonderful friend,' said a lifelong friend, Bethany Leach Parmley of Washington, Maine. 'She was just so fun and funny and you couldn't help but have a good time around her.' The pond, in the 2,400-resident town of Union, is about 600 acres (243 hectares) and does not have public access. It is available for a variety of uses, including boating and fishing. The 100 Acre Island preserve in the center of the pond is a wooded island reachable by canoe, kayak or paddleboard from a nearby campground.
Yahoo
8 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Second suspect arrested in the shooting of an off-duty US customs officer in a Manhattan park
NEW YORK (AP) — A second suspect has been arrested in connection with the shooting of an off-duty U.S. Customs and Border Protection officer in a New York City park, law enforcement officials said Monday. Christhian Aybar-Berroa is the alleged getaway driver in the apparent robbery-gone-wrong Saturday, according to New York City Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch. He is expected to appear in federal court in Manhattan later Monday. Aybar-Berroa's alleged accomplice, Miguel Mora, was taken into custody Sunday after arriving at a Bronx hospital with gunshot wounds to the groin and leg. The 42-year-old customs officer, who was not in uniform, had been sitting with a woman in a park beneath the George Washington Bridge in upper Manhattan when two men approached on a moped, according to police When he realized he was being robbed, the officer drew his service weapon. He and the suspects fired at each other: The officer was shot in the face and arm while the suspect was shot before he and the moped driver fled, police said. U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem, in a separate announcement Monday, said the officer, who has not been identified by authorities, is recovering in a hospital and is expected to survive. He works for Customs and Border Protection, whose officers dress in blue and are stationed at airports and land crossings. Border Patrol agents in green uniforms patrol mountains and deserts for illegal crossings. No lawyers were listed for Aybar-Berroa or Moro on the federal court case database and a spokesperson for the U.S. Attorney's office in Manhattan didn't immediately comment. Authorities say both suspects entered the country illegally from the Dominican Republic and have extensive criminal histories in their short time in the U.S. The police commissioner said Aybar-Berroa arrived in 2022 and he has been arrested eight times for grand larceny and other crimes, and is a suspect in at least four other cases. The Homeland Security chief said Aybar-Berroa was ordered deported by a federal immigration judge in 2023, but immigration detainers were ignored. She blamed New York City authorities for releasing him before federal officials could take custody of him. He was 'arrested again and again and again,' Noem said. 'What did we think was going to happen?' Moro, she added, has a 'rap sheet a mile long' that includes grand larceny, assault and kidnapping charges. Police said Sunday he entered the country illegally through Arizona in 2023 and had two prior arrests for domestic violence in New York. He is also wanted in New York to face accusations of robbery and felony assault, and in Massachusetts over a stolen weapons case. 'There is absolutely zero reason that someone like this — that's the scum of the earth — should be running loose on the streets of New York City,' Noem said at a press conference at CBP's Manhattan office. Mayor Eric Adams, at a separate press conference, distanced himself from the so-called sanctuary city policies that Noem and other federal officials on Monday blamed for the shooting. New York and other cities have longstanding laws and policies that limit or restrict local government involvement in federal immigration matters. 'I'm not protecting them," said the Democratic mayor, a former police captain who is running for reelection. "I've always been clear: stop the revolving door system. Go after the dangerous migrants and asylum seekers.' ___ Follow Philip Marcelo on X: @philmarcelo
Yahoo
8 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Mississippi freshman lineman Corey Adams dies in Tennessee shooting at 18
Mississippi freshman defensive lineman Corey Adams was shot and killed Saturday night near Memphis, Tenn. He was 18. Adams was a three-star recruit out of Edna Karr High School in New Orleans. His alma mater posted a tribute Sunday morning on Facebook. "This is a post we never want to have to make and words can't describe this type of pain. We are heartbroken and tormented to pieces," the Karr Cougar Football account posted. "Corey Adams was more than a football player! He was a friend, brother, son, student, and all around great young man. We never question God but this is one we just don't understand. This wasn't supposed to be the end of his story but we will #DoIt4Co." The Shelby County (Tenn.) Sheriff's Office said in a statement that it is investigating a shooting that took place at around 10:14 p.m. Saturday night outside a residence in Cordova. Read more: Bryan Braman, an undrafted free agent who became a Super Bowl champion, dies at 38 "When deputies arrived at the intersection of Forest Hill-Irene and Walnut Grove, they stopped a vehicle, finding an adult male gunshot victim," the sheriff's office stated. "They provided life-saving measures until Shelby County Fire arrived. Shelby County Fire personnel later pronounced the victim deceased on the scene." A second statement, issued hours later early Sunday morning, identified the victim as Adams. The sheriff's department also noted that "four adult males arrived by personal vehicles to area hospitals with gunshot wounds. All four victims are listed in non-critical condition." The shooting is an active homicide investigation, the department stated. According to his Mississippi bio, Adams was a two-time all-state selection who had 19 sacks, 62 tackles (21 for loss), one fumble recovery and four batted passes his senior year. 247 Sports reports that he received offers from 17 schools — including USC, LSU, Oregon, Texas A&M and Mississippi State — before signing with the Rebels. He enrolled at Mississippi in January. Months later, Adams posted pictures on Instagram of himself taking part in spring practice. Mississippi football said in an X (formerly Twitter) post that it was "devastated" to learn of Adams' passing. "While our program is trying to cope with this tragic loss, our thoughts are with his loved ones during this incredibly difficult time," the Rebels wrote. "Out of respect for his family, we will not be commenting further at this time. We ask the Ole Miss community to keep Corey in their thoughts and respect the privacy of everyone involved." Get the best, most interesting and strangest stories of the day from the L.A. sports scene and beyond from our newsletter The Sports Report. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
