Read on PBS NewsFlorida Executes Bryan Frederick Jennings in Record 16th Execution of 2025
Florida carried out its 16th execution of 2025 on Thursday evening, setting a new state record under Governor Ron DeSantis. Bryan Frederick Jennings, 66, was executed by lethal injection for the 1979 murder of 6-year-old Rebecca Kunash, who was abducted from her bedroom, raped, and drowned in a canal. The execution marks an unprecedented pace of capital punishment in Florida, with two more executions scheduled before year's end.
Florida executed Bryan Frederick Jennings on Thursday evening, marking the state's 16th execution in 2025 and setting a new record for capital punishment in Florida. The 66-year-old former Marine was pronounced dead at 6:20 p.m. following a three-drug lethal injection at Florida State Prison near Starke for the 1979 murder of 6-year-old Rebecca Kunash.
The Crime and Conviction
According to court records detailed in the Associated Press report, Jennings was a 20-year-old Marine on leave on May 11, 1979, when he removed the screen from the girl's bedroom window while her parents were in another room. He abducted Rebecca Kunash, took her to a canal in his car, and raped her. Testimony showed he then "swung her by her legs to the ground with such force that she fractured her skull" before drowning her in the canal where her body was found later that day.
Execution Details
Jennings was arrested hours after the crime on a traffic warrant and matched the description of a man seen near the Kunash home. Evidence included matching shoe prints, fingerprints on the windowsill, and wet clothes and hair. When asked for a final statement, Jennings responded "No" loudly. During the execution, his chest heaved and arms twitched for several minutes before he laid still with his mouth open. Department of Corrections spokesman Jordan Kirkland confirmed the procedure went as planned without complications.
Historical Context and Appeals
Jennings was convicted and sentenced to death three times for the murder, with the first two sentences reversed on appeal. The final trial in 1986 resulted in the death sentence that was carried out. He also received life sentences for kidnapping, sexual assault, and burglary convictions. In recent appeals, Jennings argued he went months without legal counsel before Governor DeSantis signed his death warrant, claiming a violation of his right to counsel.
Florida's Execution Record
Governor Ron DeSantis has now ordered more executions in a single year than any Florida governor since the death penalty was reinstated in the United States in 1976. The previous state record was eight executions in 2014. DeSantis has explained the unprecedented pace by stating his goal is to bring justice to victims' families who have waited decades for sentences to be carried out. Additional executions are scheduled for November 20 and December 9, which would bring Florida's 2025 total to 18 executions.
National Execution Context
Jennings' execution was one of three scheduled nationally this week. According to the Death Penalty Information Center, 42 people have been executed in the United States so far in 2025, with at least 16 others scheduled through 2026. On the same day as Jennings' execution, Oklahoma's governor spared a man's life just before his planned lethal injection, while South Carolina prepared for a firing squad execution the following day.
The execution of Bryan Frederick Jennings represents both the culmination of a 46-year legal process and a significant moment in Florida's capital punishment history. As the state continues its unprecedented pace of executions under Governor DeSantis, the case highlights ongoing debates about justice delayed, victims' rights, and the administration of capital punishment in modern America.
