Melvin Trotter, a 65-year-old man convicted of the 1986 murder of grocery store owner Virgie Langford, was executed by lethal injection on Tuesday evening at Florida State Prison near Starke. This execution represents the second carried out by the state of Florida in 2026, continuing a trend of increased capital punishment under Governor Ron DeSantis.
Decades-Long Legal Battle Ends
Trotter was initially convicted of first-degree murder and sentenced to death in 1987. However, the Florida Supreme Court later found procedural errors in the handling of aggravating factors during his trial, leading to a new sentencing hearing in 1993 where he again received the death penalty. His final appeals, including arguments about mismanaged death penalty protocols and his age, were denied by Florida's Supreme Court last week, with remaining appeals pending before the U.S. Supreme Court.
Record-Breaking Execution Pace
Florida executed 19 people in 2025, setting a state record under Governor DeSantis that surpassed the previous high of eight executions in 2014. This made Florida the national leader in executions last year, with 47 total executions occurring across the United States in 2025. Alabama, South Carolina, and Texas tied for second place with five executions each.
So far in 2026, Texas, Oklahoma, and Florida have each carried out one execution. Florida has already scheduled two more executions for March: Billy Leon Kearse on March 3 and Michael Lee King on March 17.
The Crime That Led to Execution
Court records detail that Trotter strangled and stabbed Virgie Langford at her Palmetto, Florida grocery store in 1986. A truck driver discovered Langford alive after the attack, and she was able to describe her assailant before dying at a hospital. Langford recalled Trotter's physical appearance and noted he wore a Tropicana employee badge bearing the name "Melvin."
Police investigation revealed crucial evidence including a T-shirt with Langford's blood type found at Trotter's residence and his handprint on a meat cooler at the crime scene. This physical evidence played a significant role in securing his conviction.
Recent Florida Executions
On February 10, Ronald Palmer Heath became the first person executed in Florida this year for the 1989 murder of traveling salesperson Michael Sheridan. Heath and his brother had met Sheridan at a bar before the killing occurred.
The execution of Melvin Trotter continues Florida's aggressive use of the death penalty, which has drawn national attention and debate about capital punishment practices in the United States.
