Martin Edward Grossman
Martin Grossman prayed in Hebrew and recited the Shema before his death, and his aunt and two friends visited him that morning. He was executed by lethal injection at Florida State Prison in Starke on February 16, 2010, and was pronounced dead about 15 minutes after the injection began, after the U.S. Supreme Court refused to block it. Before the procedure he expressed remorse to the victim's family, and his religious adviser, Rabbi Menachem Katz of the Aleph Institute, said he had shown deep remorse over the years. The Vatican, Jewish groups and an online petition with more than 34,000 signatures asked for clemency, and supporters said he had a below-average IQ and a history of epilepsy and that a psychiatrist reportedly concluded he could not have formed intent to kill. A spokesman for Governor Charlie Crist confirmed the execution went ahead.
Cause of death, as reported: Executed by the state. Objections to the execution were raised by the Vatican, Jewish leaders and thousands of petitioners, who cited questions about premeditation, his diminished IQ and his remorse.
Reported by: Florida Department of Corrections (the agency that held him); spokesman for Gov. Charlie Crist.