Man convicted of 1982 murder executed in Florida
20 Aug 2025 09:19am
The use of nitrogen gas as a method of capital punishment has been denounced by United Nations experts as cruel and inhumane. - Photo illustrated by Sinar Daily
MIAMI - A 67-year-old man convicted of the 1982 murder of a woman he abducted from her office was put to death by lethal injection in the southern US state of Florida on Tuesday.
Kayle Bates was sentenced to death in 1983 for the murder of Janet Renee White, 24, who worked at an insurance company in Lynn Haven, Florida. This undated photo released by the Florida Department of Corrections and obtained on August 19, 2025 shows death row inmate Kayle Bates. - AFP photo
White was attacked at her office by Bates after she returned from lunch and stabbed to death in nearby woods.
Bates was executed at 6.17pm (2217 GMT) at the Florida State Prison, according to officials.
There have been 29 executions in the United States in 2025, the most since 2014, when a total of 35 inmates were also put to death.
Twenty-four of this year's executions have been carried out by lethal injection, two by firing squad and three by nitrogen hypoxia, which involves pumping nitrogen gas into a face mask, causing the prisoner to suffocate.
The use of nitrogen gas as a method of capital punishment has been denounced by United Nations experts as cruel and inhumane.
Florida has carried out the most executions in 2025 with 10.
The death penalty has been abolished in 23 of the 50 US states, while three others -- California, Oregon and Pennsylvania -- have moratoriums in place.
President Donald Trump is a proponent of capital punishment, and on his first day in office called for an expansion of its use "for the vilest crimes." - AFP
More Like This
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Sun
2 hours ago
- The Sun
Colombia court frees ex-president Uribe during appeal process
BOGOTÁ: A Colombian court has ordered the immediate release of former president Alvaro Uribe while he appeals his witness tampering conviction. The court's Tuesday decision reverses the 12-year house arrest sentence announced earlier this month. This conviction marked the first time in Colombia's history that a former president has been found guilty of a crime. Uribe led Colombia from 2002 to 2010 and dominated domestic politics for a generation. He was found guilty of asking right-wing paramilitaries to lie about their alleged connections to him. These paramilitaries committed atrocities while fighting leftist rebels during his presidency. The 73-year-old former president has been under house arrest since August 1 at his Rionegro home. He appealed the conviction, claiming the trial was politically motivated by Colombia's left. President Gustavo Petro currently leads Colombia's left-wing government. Tuesday's Superior Court decision allows Uribe to move freely during his appeal process. The court stated it does not consider him a flight risk despite the serious charges. The court has until October 16 to either uphold or overturn Uribe's conviction. 'If it misses the deadline, the trial is annulled and Uribe will go free,' the court noted. Uribe expressed gratitude on social media platform X following his release. 'Thanks to God, thanks to so many fellow Colombians for their expressions of solidarity,' he wrote. Uribe remains highly popular and influential among Colombian conservatives. He led a relentless military campaign against drug cartels and the FARC guerrilla army during his presidency. He continues to wield considerable power over conservative politics in Colombia. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has criticized Uribe's prosecution without providing evidence. Rubio claimed it represented 'the weaponization of Colombia's judicial branch by radical judges.' President Petro questioned US interference in Uribe's case during a televised meeting. 'I do not understand how Uribe is free,' Petro told his ministers. 'Is that justice?' Recent opinion polls show Uribe remains the country's best-loved politician despite his legal troubles. The investigation against Uribe began in 2018 and experienced numerous twists and turns. Several attorneys general attempted to close the case during the investigation period. The case gained new momentum under Attorney General Luz Camargo, appointed by Petro. Petro himself is a former guerrilla and political arch-foe of Uribe. More than 90 witnesses testified during the trial that opened in May 2024. Prosecutors presented evidence including testimony from an ex-paramilitary fighter. This fighter stated Uribe contacted him to change his story about their alleged connections. - AFP
The Star
4 hours ago
- The Star
New Zealand soldier gets two-year sentence for attempted espionage
The New Zealand soldier standing at a makeshift courtroom at the Linton Military Camp near the city of Palmerston North in New Zealand on Aug 18, 2025. - AFP PALMERSTON, New Zealand: A military court sentenced a New Zealand soldier on Wednesday (Aug 20) to two years' detention for attempted espionage for a foreign power. The soldier, whose name has been suppressed, admitted to attempted espionage, accessing a computer system for a dishonest purpose and knowingly possessing an objectionable publication. The court martial at Linton Military Camp near Palmerston North heard the soldier gave military base maps and photographs to an undercover officer posing as an agent for the foreign nation. During the investigation he was found to have copies of a livestreamed video of the March 2019 killing of 51 worshippers at two mosques in Christchurch by white supremacist Brenton Tarrant. The soldier became a person of interest in the aftermath of the Christchurch attack as police cracked down on right-wing extremist groups, of which he was a member, the court heard. While monitoring him, the New Zealand government became aware he had "made contact with a third party, indicating that he was a soldier who was wanting to defect", according to an agreed summary read out by the prosecution. The military court has permanently suppressed the identity of the foreign nation. It was the first spying conviction in New Zealand's history. The soldier was arrested in December 2019, and had spent all but six days since then under what the New Zealand Defence Force called open arrest. He was required to live on an army base in a military house, and was subject to a curfew. The soldier was suspended on full pay, earning more than US$230,000 (NZ$400,000) since his arrest. During that time he married his wife and had two children. His wife is expecting a third child. - AFP
Malay Mail
5 hours ago
- Malay Mail
Florida executes man convicted of 1982 murder, 29th US execution this year
MIAMI, Aug 20 — A 67-year-old man convicted of the 1982 murder of a woman he abducted from her office was put to death by lethal injection in the southern US state of Florida on yesterday. Kayle Bates was sentenced to death in 1983 for the murder of Janet Renee White, 24, who worked at an insurance company in Lynn Haven, Florida. White was attacked at her office by Bates after she returned from lunch and stabbed to death in nearby woods. Bates was executed at 6:17 pm (2217 GMT) at the Florida State Prison, according to officials. There have been 29 executions in the United States in 2025, the most since 2014, when a total of 35 inmates were also put to death. Twenty-four of this year's executions have been carried out by lethal injection, two by firing squad and three by nitrogen hypoxia, which involves pumping nitrogen gas into a face mask, causing the prisoner to suffocate. The use of nitrogen gas as a method of capital punishment has been denounced by United Nations experts as cruel and inhumane. Florida has carried out the most executions in 2025 with 10. The death penalty has been abolished in 23 of the 50 US states, while three others—California, Oregon and Pennsylvania—have moratoriums in place. President Donald Trump is a proponent of capital punishment, and on his first day in office called for an expansion of its use 'for the vilest crimes.' — AFP
