A Florida man convicted of abducting and killing a woman more than four decades ago is scheduled to be executed Tuesday evening.
Kayle Bates, 67, will receive a lethal injection at 6 p.m. at Florida State Prison near Starke, under a death warrant signed by Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis. This marks Florida’s 10th execution of 2025 — the highest number of executions carried out by any state this year. Two additional executions are already scheduled for the coming weeks.
Since the U.S. Supreme Court reinstated the death penalty in 1976, Florida’s previous record was eight executions in a single year, set in 2014. So far this year, Florida has executed more inmates than any other state, with Texas and South Carolina tied for second place at four each.
Bates was convicted of first-degree murder, kidnapping, armed robbery, and attempted sexual battery in the June 14, 1982, killing of Janet White in Bay County. According to court records, Bates abducted White from the insurance office where she worked, forced her into nearby woods, attempted to rape her, fatally stabbed her, and stole a diamond ring from her finger.
Bates’ attorneys have filed multiple appeals, arguing that the process used by DeSantis to sign death warrants was discriminatory. They also cited claims of organic brain damage that they believe were not properly considered in his sentencing.
Last week, a federal judge dismissed the lawsuit challenging the death warrant process, ruling that the statistical analysis presented was flawed and insufficient to prove discrimination. On the same day, the Florida Supreme Court rejected Bates’ other appeals, noting he had decades to raise those issues. A final appeal remains pending before the U.S. Supreme Court.
So far this year, 28 men have been executed across the United States, with at least 10 more executions scheduled in seven states before the year ends.
Florida has two more executions on its calendar: Curtis Windom, 59, convicted of killing three people in the Orlando area in 1992, is set to die on Aug. 28; and David Pittman, 63, convicted of fatally stabbing his estranged wife’s sister and parents before setting their Polk County home on fire in 1990, is scheduled for Sept. 17.
The Florida Department of Corrections administers executions using a three-drug lethal injection protocol: a sedative, a paralytic, and a drug that stops the heart.
