Florida executes Darryl Barwick for deadly stabbing of Rebecca Wendt
PENSACOLA, Fla. — Convicted murderer Darryl Barwick was executed Wednesday night time at Florida State Jail in Raiford, for breaking into a girl’s dwelling and stabbing her to loss of life in 1986.
“It’s time to apologize to the sufferer’s household, to my household. I can’t clarify why I did what I did,” Barwick, 56, mentioned, who was pronounced dead at 6:14 p.m. The execution workforce started administering the deadly cocktail of three medicine which embrace a sedative, paralytic, and a drug to cease his coronary heart, at 6:02 p.m.
Barwick was 19 years outdated in 1986 when he noticed 24-year-old Rebecca Wendt sunbathing by the pool of her condo complicated in Panama Metropolis, Florida, and adopted her dwelling. After watching her, he went again to his home close by to seize a knife and gloves and broke into her condo, stabbing her 37 occasions.
Barwick confessed, telling officers he solely meant to rob Wendt and stabbed her after she resisted. However the medical expert’s workplace discovered semen on the comforter wrapped round Wendt’s physique.
“This can be a case the place there has by no means been a doubt in regards to the defendant’s guilt,” 14th Judicial Circuit State Legal professional Larry Basford mentioned in a press release after the execution. “Not one, however two juries discovered the defendant responsible past an inexpensive doubt, and really helpful that he be sentenced to loss of life. “
Basford added: “Sadly, it took 37 years from the time of the crime for that punishment to be carried out on this case. We recognize the tireless efforts of the Legal professional Normal’s Workplace and Governor DeSantis’ workplace to acquire justice for the sufferer and her household.”
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Barwick execution is third in three months
After a three-and-a-half-year hiatus introduced on by COVID-19, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has signed loss of life warrants for 3 loss of life row inmates in lower than three months.
On Feb. 23, Donald Dillbeck, 59, was executed for the 1990 homicide of Faye Vann exterior a Tallahassee, Florida. mall. On April 12, Louis Bernard Gaskin, 56, was executed for murdering a pair in Palm Coast, Florida, in 1989.
Dillbeck was the primary prisoner executed in Florida since 2019 and the a centesimal prisoner executed because the loss of life penalty was reinstated in Florida in 1975, in line with the Division of Corrections.
Barwick has spent 36 years on loss of life row, practically double the U.S. common
Barwick has been on loss of life row for 36 years – 12 years longer than Wendt lived. DeSantis signed his loss of life warrant on April 4.
Barwick was initially sentenced to loss of life in 1987, however the Florida Supreme Court docket overturned the conviction and ordered a brand new trial. He was convicted once more in 1992 and was sentenced to loss of life after a unanimous jury advice, in line with a doc from Legal professional Normal Ashley Moody’s workplace that was filed Monday on the Supreme Court docket.
State and federal courts have rejected a sequence of appeals by Barwick.
The variety of prisoners on loss of life row throughout the US continues to say no whereas the typical period of time they’ve been on loss of life row approaches 19 years, in line with a report from the Division of Justice Bureau of Justice Statistics.
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Keep of execution denied for Barwick
The U.S. Supreme Court rejected a last-minute petition by Barwick’s attorneys on Wednesday.
Barwick’s attorneys contended within the U.S. Supreme Court docket filings that Barwick’s due-process rights had been violated due to a “standardless” clemency course of. They wrote that the state has not granted clemency to any individuals sentenced to loss of life in 40 years.
“Due course of requires that Mr. Barwick be supplied a continuing the place the requirements are clear and embrace issues past the condemned’s guilt,” one of many filings mentioned. “Clemency is a crucial stage of the loss of life penalty scheme. It’s the solely stage at which components like regret, rehabilitation, racial and geographic influences, and different components that the authorized system doesn’t right might be thought-about.”
Barwick’s attorneys additionally pointed to Barwick having a “neurodevelopmental dysfunction” that affected his psychological growth and that he suffered abuse as a baby. He had a clemency interview in 2021.