Execution date set for Florida man who fatally stabbed married couple during 1990 robbery

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) — A Florida man who fatally stabbed a married couple during a robbery is set to be executed in Florida under a death warrant signed by Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis. The state already has put to death more people this year than ever before since the death penalty was restored nearly 50 years ago.

Victor Tony Jones, 64, is scheduled to die Sept. 30, which would be the state’s 13th execution scheduled for this year. DeSantis signed the warrant Friday, as another man, David Pittman, already awaits execution next month.

The highest previous annual total of recent Florida executions is eight in 2014, since the death penalty was restored in 1976 by the U.S. Supreme Court. Florida has already executed 11 people this year, more than any other state, ahead of Texas and South Carolina which have each executed four people.

A total of 30 people have been executed so far this year in the U.S., exceeding the 25 executions carried out last year. The most recent year with more executions for the entire U.S. was 2014, when 35 people were put to death.

Jones was convicted and sentenced to death in 1993 on two counts of first-degree murder. Jurors also found him guilty of two counts of armed robbery.

Jones was a new employee at a Miami-Dade business owned by Matilda and Jacob Nestor in December 1990 when he stabbed the wife in the neck and the husband in the chest. Investigators determined that before he died from his wounds Jacob Nestor managed to retreat to an office. He pulled a .22 caliber pistol from a holster and fired five times, striking Jones once in the forehead.

Police found Jones wounded at the scene with the Nestors’ money and personal property in his pockets.

The Florida Supreme Court is scheduled to hear an appeal. An appeal will also likely be filed with the U.S. Supreme Court.