Almost half a century on death row: US citizen executed for murder almost 50 years after the crime

With almost half a century on death row, he was one of the prisoners who had waited the longest for his sentence to be carried out in the USA.

The man was sentenced to death in 1977 for the murder of a 13-year-old girl in 1976. He maintained his innocence until the end.

It was the tenth execution in the United States this year and the sixth in Florida. Last year, 47 people were executed in the USA – the most since 2009, when 52 prisoners were sentenced to death. Most executions took place in Florida.

The death penalty, which is outlawed in many countries, is still carried out in 23 of the 50 US states. US President Donald Trump is a supporter.