Martin Grossman
Martin Edward Grossman, 45, was executed by lethal injection at Florida State Prison in Starke on February 16, 2010, for the 1984 killing of Margaret Park in Pinellas County. His religious adviser, Rabbi Menachem Katz, stayed with him in his cell through the day, and he was visited that morning by his aunt and two friends. In a final statement he expressed remorse to the victim's family and recited the Shema. The Vatican, Jewish leaders and more than 34,000 petitioners asked that the execution be stopped, citing claims of a below-average IQ, a history of epilepsy, and a psychiatrist's view that he could not have formed intent to kill.
Cause of death, as reported: Executed by the state. The Vatican and Jewish leaders in Israel asked that the execution be stopped, citing his diminished IQ and questions about premeditation.
Reported by: Florida Department of Corrections (the agency that held him); spokesman for Florida governor Charlie Crist.