TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Governor Ron DeSantis issued a death warrant on Friday for Samuel Smithers, who is scheduled to be executed on October 14 for the 1996 murders of two women in Hillsborough County. This marks what could be the 14th execution in Florida this year alone.
Smithers, 72, was convicted of killing Denise Roach and Christy Cowan, whose bodies were found in a pond. The state Supreme Court’s recent documents reveal that Smithers lured the women to a secluded property where he was employed as a caretaker under the pretense of offering paid companionship.
The harrowing details of the crimes emerged from a 1999 sentencing order, which indicated that Roach was killed during a dispute over a month prior to Cowan’s death. This order recounted the brutal nature of Roach’s murder, stating that Smithers struck her repeatedly, resulting in severe head trauma, before disposing of her body in the pond, where it remains uncertain whether she was alive at that moment.
Cowan’s murder followed shortly after, where a similar pattern of violence ensued. The sentencing order documented that after Smithers brought Cowan to the same isolated property, he killed her using an axe and other tools, also potentially drowning her in the process.
Law enforcement was notified by the property’s owner after he noticed Smithers cleaning an axe and found evidence of violence, including a pool of blood. This discovery led to Smithers’ arrest and subsequent conviction for both killings.
As Florida prepares for this execution, a record number of 11 inmates have already been executed this year, surpassing the previous modern-era high of eight executions set in 1984 and again in 2014. The current wave of executions reflects a significant shift in the state’s approach to capital punishment.
Alongside Smithers, two other inmates are scheduled for execution this month. David Pittman, convicted of murdering three family members of his estranged wife in 1990, is set for execution on September 27. Meanwhile, Victor Tony Jones, convicted for the 1990 murders of a couple in Miami-Dade, is facing a September 30 execution date. Both inmates’ legal teams are pursuing last-minute stays and arguing against their executions based on claims of intellectual disabilities.
Florida continues to navigate the complex landscape of capital punishment, balancing legal appeals against widespread public interest in the state’s execution protocols.