Florida Execution: Man Put to Death for 1986 Grocery Store Murder

A man convicted of the 1986 murder of a 70-year-old grocery store owner was executed in Florida on Tuesday, marking the state’s second execution of 2026 and continuing a period of increased capital punishment under Governor Ron DeSantis. Melvin Trotter, 65, was pronounced dead at 6:15 p.m. Following a lethal injection at Florida State Prison near Starke for the stabbing death of Virgie Langford.

The execution proceeded without apparent complications, according to Alex Lanfranconi, a spokesperson for Governor DeSantis. The prison warden confirmed Trotter’s death at 6:14 p.m. After a medical professional examined him.

Trotter’s case dates back to June 16, 1986, when he attacked Virgie Langford at her store in Palmetto, near Tampa Bay. Langford was found bleeding but alive by a truck driver and was able to provide details about her attacker, including a description of his appearance and the fact that he wore a Tropicana employee badge with the name “Melvin” on it, before succumbing to her injuries in hospital. Police later recovered a T-shirt with Langford’s blood type at Trotter’s home and found his handprint on a meat cooler inside the store.

Initially convicted of first-degree murder and sentenced to death in 1987, Trotter’s conviction was later challenged. The Florida Supreme Court found that the trial court had erred in its handling of aggravating factors, leading to a resentencing in 1993, which again resulted in a death penalty verdict.

The execution of Trotter follows a recent increase in capital punishment in Florida. Last year, the state carried out a record 19 executions, more than any other governor in Florida since the reinstatement of the death penalty in 1976. The previous record was eight executions in 2014. This year, Ronald Palmer Heath was executed on February 10 for the 1989 murder of a traveling salesman.

Prior to his execution, Trotter reportedly awoke at 3:20 a.m. And received one visitor during the day. His final meal consisted of fish, cornbread, cake, and soda.

The increased pace of executions in Florida has drawn scrutiny, including concerns about the administration of lethal drugs. Justice Sonia Sotomayor of the U.S. Supreme Court recently raised questions about the state’s protocols, suggesting a potential risk of “mangled” executions if the drugs are improperly administered, violating the Eighth Amendment’s prohibition on cruel and unusual punishment. Trotter’s attorneys had argued that Florida’s procedures could lead to such a scenario.

The U.S. Supreme Court denied Trotter’s final appeal on Tuesday. His attorneys had also argued that his advanced age – 65 – should have exempted him from execution.

Florida is currently scheduled to carry out two more executions next month: Billy Leon Kearse on March 3 and Michael Lee King on March 17. All executions in the state are carried out using a combination of a sedative, a paralytic, and a drug to stop the heart.

In 2025, a total of 47 executions were carried out across the United States. Florida led the nation with 19, followed by Alabama, South Carolina, and Texas, each with five. So far in 2026, Florida, Texas, and Oklahoma have each conducted one execution.

The case underscores the ongoing debate surrounding capital punishment in the United States, with Florida emerging as a state actively pursuing executions at a rate exceeding historical norms. The state’s approach, overseen by Governor DeSantis, represents a significant shift in the application of the death penalty within the American legal system.