The execution of convicted murderer Louis Gaskin was carried out on Wednesday, decades after the crime he was sentenced to death for. He’s the 101st person to be executed in Florida, and the fourth under Governor Ron DeSantis.
The two murders tied to Gaskin took place in 1989, about a decade before Palm Coast was incorporated as a city. He’s said to have approached the home of Robert and Georgette Sturmfels on the night of December 20th in the R section, fatally shooting both through the window. He’s also said to have moved on to another home and fired shots into it as well, but not killing any of its inhabitants.
On December 30th Gaskin was arrested and confessed to the murders, saying that his choice of victims was entirely random. Both of the houses had been robbed, and the strange attire he wore during the incidents branded him the ‘Ninja Killer’.
He had reportedly been implicated in the murders by a relative of his girlfriend’s, who witnessed his returning home afterward. In July 1990, Gaskin was convicted on two counts of first degree murder and given the death penalty.
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Governor DeSantis signed Gaskin’s death warrant on March 13th, and a series of legal challenges to stop the execution were unsuccessful. The final hurdle came on Tuesday, when the United States Supreme Court declined to block Gaskin’s killing.
Gaskin’s last meal was at 9:45 am, and consisted of BBQ pork ribs, pork and turkey neck, Buffalo wings, shrimp fried rice, french fries, and water. He had one last chance to speak with his sister, who was not present at the execution itself. At 6:02 pm he was executed via lethal injection, and was pronounced dead at 6:14 pm.
At least the remaining family members of the victims finally got justice. However it should not have taken this long costing tax payers thousands of dollars to support his butt for over 30+ years. Now he can answer to a higher authority.