A man who was found guilty of the murder of a six-year-old girl in 1979 was executed on Thursday in Florida, marking the state’s 16th execution this year. Bryan Frederick Jennings, 66, was put to death at Florida State Prison through a three-drug injection for the killing of Rebecca Kunash, who was raped and drowned in a canal.
During the execution, Jennings declined to make a final statement. The victim’s family members chose not to speak to the media, and a Department of Corrections spokesperson confirmed that the procedure proceeded according to plan without any issues.
Jennings’s execution brings the total number of court-ordered executions in the U.S. to 42 this year, the highest count since 2012. This increase is significant compared to only 11 executions nationally four years ago, following a decline from a peak of 98 executions in 1999. The 42 executions have been distributed across 11 states in the South and Midwest regions.
Jennings spent a considerable amount of time on death row before his execution, with his case enduring through three trials. Despite being initially sentenced to death in 1980, his verdict was overturned on appeal twice before a final conviction in 1986. Apart from the death penalty, Jennings also received life sentences for other criminal charges.
Numerous appeals were filed by Jennings in state and federal courts, including a recent claim regarding a perceived violation of his right to legal representation after his attorney passed away in 2022. Reports indicate that Jennings outlived two prosecutors involved in his case, as well as Kunash’s father and four state governors elected after his first trial.
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis attributed the surge in executions to his aim of delivering justice to families who have long awaited closure. The state has never executed more than eight individuals in a single year prior to 2025. Two more executions are scheduled in Florida later this year.
Jennings, a former Marine Corps member, committed the crime in 1979 involving the abduction, rape, and murder of the young girl. His arrest followed shortly after the incident, with evidence linking him to the crime scene. Additional executions are planned in Florida, including those of Richard Barry Randolph and Mark Allen Geralds, potentially bringing the total number of executions in the state to 18 by the end of the year.