Florida Executes Melvin Trotter for 1986 Murder, Second Execution This Year
Melvin Trotter, a 65-year-old man convicted of murdering a 70-year-old grocery store owner, was executed by lethal injection on Tuesday at Florida State Prison near Starke. This marks the second execution carried out by Florida in 2026, following a record-breaking year in 2025 under Governor Ron DeSantis.
Details of the Execution and Crime
Authorities pronounced Trotter dead at 6:15 p.m. after administering the lethal injection for the 1986 stabbing death of Virgie Langford. Alex Lanfranconi, a spokesperson for Governor DeSantis, confirmed there were no complications during the procedure. Trotter was originally convicted of first-degree murder and sentenced to death in 1987. After a resentencing in 1993 due to trial court errors in handling aggravating factors, he again received the death penalty.
According to court records, on June 16, 1986, Trotter stabbed and strangled Langford at her store in Palmetto, near Tampa Bay. A truck driver later found her bleeding but alive on the store's back floor, where she provided crucial details about her attacker before dying at a hospital. Langford recalled Trotter's physical appearance and noted he wore a Tropicana employee badge with the name "Melvin." Police subsequently found a T-shirt with Langford's blood type at Trotter's home and his handprint on a meat cooler in the store.
Legal Appeals and Broader Context
The Florida Supreme Court recently denied appeals from Trotter's attorneys, who argued officials mismanaged his death penalty protocols and that his advanced age should exempt him from execution. The U.S. Supreme Court also rejected his final appeal on Tuesday. Separately, Justice Sonia Sotomayor raised concerns about Florida's administration of lethal drugs, with Trotter's attorneys warning of potential "maladministration" that could lead to a "mangled" execution, violating the Eighth Amendment's prohibition on cruel and unusual punishment. Sotomayor expressed hope that the state would ensure executions are conducted consistently with proper protocols moving forward.
This execution follows an unprecedented 19 executions in Florida in 2025, the highest number since the death penalty's reinstatement in 1976, surpassing the previous record of eight in 2014. Nationally, 47 people were executed in the U.S. in 2025, with Florida leading the way due to a flurry of death warrants signed by DeSantis. Alabama, South Carolina, and Texas tied for second with five executions each last year.
Recent and Upcoming Executions
Earlier this month, on February 10, Ronald Palmer Heath became the first person executed in Florida this year for the 1989 killing of Michael Sheridan. Besides the two Florida executions in 2026, Texas and Oklahoma have each conducted one execution so far. Florida has scheduled two more executions for next month: Billy Leon Kearse on March 3 and Michael Lee King on March 17. All Florida executions involve a three-drug protocol—a sedative, a paralytic, and a drug that stops the heart—administered by the Department of Corrections.
Hours before his execution, Florida corrections officials reported that Trotter awoke at 3:20 a.m., had one visitor during the day, and requested a final meal including fish, cornbread, cake, and soda.
