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Florida man who dropped appeals is executed for 1988 rape, hammer killing of nurse
A Florida man who recently dropped all legal appeals was executed Thursday for the 1988 murder of a woman who was sexually assaulted, killed with a hammer and then set on fire in her own bed.
James Phillip Barnes, 61, was pronounced dead at 6:13 p.m. following a lethal injection at Florida State Prison in Starke, said Jason Mahon, a spokesman for Gov. Ron DeSantis.
The 61-year-old inmate was sentenced to death for the murder of nurse Patricia “Patsy” Miller. The governor’s spokesman said Barnes had no final words.
It was the fifth execution in Florida this year.