Florida has more than 400 men on death row, but there will be one less if the execution of Elmer Carroll takes place as scheduled at 6 p.m. on Wednesday. Earlier this month, the U.S. Supreme Court rejected arguments by Carroll's attorneys that the prisoner should not be executed because he is mentally ill. WESH-TV in Orlando reported that the high court ruled that those objections were brought up at the last minute and cannot be made at this point. (UPDATE: The Florida Department of Corrections said that Carroll died at 6:12 p.m. on Wednesday, May 29 at Florida State Prison in Starke).
Carroll was indicted in November of 1990 on a count of first-degree murder and sexual battery for the rape and murder of 10-year-old Christine McGowan in Apopka, Fla. The young girl's family lived next door to the halfway house where Carroll had stayed after his release from prison (he landed in prison on a charge of lewd conduct with two other children).
Carroll's execution is just days before a bill aimed at speeding up the process of a death row execution is scheduled to land on Gov. Rick Scott's desk, a bill that critics contend could increase the odds of an innocent man getting executed.
This article appears in May 30 – Jun 5, 2013.