Florida executed death row inmate Samuel Smithers, known as the “Deacon of Death,” who was convicted of beating two women to death after he paid them for sex in 1996.
The former Baptist deacon was suspected in other unsolved killings but only convicted of two murders. His last meal request was fried chicken, fried fish, a baked potato, apple pie with vanilla ice cream, and sweet tea.
His execution is Florida’s 14th of the year, breaking a record for most in state history.
The “Deacon of Death” moniker reflected the stark contrast between Smithers’ role as a Baptist deacon, a position of religious leadership and moral authority, and the brutal nature of his crimes against vulnerable women engaged in sex work.
The suspicion of involvement in additional unsolved killings is common in serial murder cases, where investigators believe a convicted offender may be responsible for other crimes but lack sufficient evidence to secure additional convictions. Prosecutors typically pursue charges only in cases with the strongest evidence.
Florida’s 14 executions in a single year represent a significant increase in death penalty activity compared to recent decades, when most states have reduced execution rates due to concerns about wrongful convictions, racial disparities, and the availability of alternative sentences like life without parole.
The pace of executions reflects Florida’s aggressive approach to capital punishment under current state leadership, contrasting with many other states that have abolished the death penalty or imposed moratoriums on executions.
Last meal requests, while often publicized, represent a longstanding tradition meant to provide some measure of dignity in the final hours before execution, though some states have eliminated the practice or imposed cost limitations.
The victims’ status as sex workers made the cases particularly challenging to investigate, as such individuals often face marginalized status that can delay missing person reports and complicate evidence gathering in homicide investigations.
