A 58-year-old man convicted of murdering a 33-year-old woman in 1989 was executed in Florida on Tuesday.
The execution, carried out by lethal injection, was the 45th in the United States this year, including 18 in the state. It was the highest number since 2010, when there were 46. Three more are scheduled through the end of 2025.
Mark Geralds was found guilty at his trial of murdering his mother. Tressa Pettibone was found beaten and stabbed to death in her home by her eight-year-old son when he returned from school.
When asked if he had any last words, Geralds addressed someone by name, but the name was not heard. He said, “I’m sorry I missed you.” Then he added, “I’ve loved you every day.”
As the injection began to flow, he took about a dozen deep breaths. His body shook and trembled, his mouth opened and closed. Within three or four minutes, Geralds was motionless. Geralds refused one last meal.
The vast majority of executions in the United States this year have been by lethal injection — 37 so far in 2025.
Five others were executed by asphyxiation by nitrogen inhalation, a method used for the first time in the world in Alabama in 2024 and described by UN experts as a form of “torture.” Three were carried out by firing squads in South Carolina; before this year, the method had not been used in the country since 2010.
The death penalty has been abolished in 23 of the 50 U.S. states. Three others — California, Oregon, Pennsylvania — have a moratorium on its implementation based on decisions by their governors.
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