Michael Tanzi, 48, was executed by lethal injection in Florida on Tuesday for the 2000 murder of Janet Acosta, a 49-year-old newspaper employee.
Tanzi was pronounced dead at Florida State Prison in Raiford after being convicted of kidnapping, sexually assaulting, and strangling Acosta during her lunch break. He had also confessed to another murder, though never charged.
His lawyers attempted to halt the execution, citing potential complications due to his obesity, but their appeal was unsuccessful.
Tanzi’s execution is the third in Florida this year and the 11th in the US. Another execution is scheduled for Friday in South Carolina, where Mikal Mahdi will be executed by firing squad for the 2004 murder of a police officer.
Lethal injection has remained the most common method of execution in the US since the Supreme Court reinstated the death penalty in 1976.
The death penalty remains a contentious issue in the US. Twenty-three states have abolished it, and three others have imposed moratoriums.
President Donald Trump supports capital punishment, and his administration has indicated a willingness to pursue it in certain cases.
Recently, the Attorney General announced they would seek the death penalty for a man charged with murdering a healthcare CEO.
