Florida Inmate James Robertson Set for Execution

Florida scheduled 63-year-old James Robertson’s lethal-injection execution for Oct. 13, 2026, nearly 18 years after he strangled his sleeping cellmate, Frank Hart, with tied-together socks. Robertson pleaded guilty to first-degree murder, said he killed Hart to secure a death sentence rather than spend life in prison, and waived further appeals. The execution was set to be Florida’s 17th of 2026, amid a record pace of executions in the state. Gov. Ron DeSantis withdrew the warrant for fellow death-row prisoner William Lee Thompson after Thompson received a stay for psychiatric evaluation; Thompson could receive another warrant. The case has renewed debate over whether capital punishment deters violence when an inmate seeks execution.