Man, 74, becomes oldest inmate executed in Florida in state's 10th
lethal injection this year
[July 15, 2026]
By DAVID FISCHER
STARKE, Fla. (AP) — Florida put to death one of its oldest prisoners in
its history on Tuesday, a 74-year-old convicted murderer who was one of
three older inmates scheduled for execution within the span of a month
in the nation’s busiest death penalty state.
Dennis Sochor was pronounced dead at 6:16 p.m. following a three-drug
injection at Florida State Prison near Starke. He was convicted of
killing Patricia Gifford on Jan. 1, 1982, just hours after meeting the
18-year-old woman at a New Year’s Eve party.
Sochor was already strapped to a gurney with an IV in his arm when the
curtain to the death chamber went up at the 6 p.m. execution time. Asked
by the warden if he had any last words, Sochor said he did.
He apologized several times to the Gifford family, saying he was “deeply
sorry” and also thanked his own loved ones for their support over the
years. Then he commended his spirit to Jesus Christ shortly before the
drugs began flowing at 6:03 p.m.
Sochor underwent about a minute of heavy breathing and then some seconds
of sputtering. After two minutes in which Sochor appeared to go still,
the warden looked into his eyes, shook his shoulders and yelled his name
without getting a response. A medic was summoned at 6:14 p.m., soon
after pronouncing Sochor dead.
Another 74-year-old inmate just a week younger than Sochor at the time
of execution was put to death last month. And later this month, the
state is preparing to execute an 80-year-old, the state’s first
octogenarian facing a lethal injection.
The execution plans highlight the aging death row population in the U.S.
and the busy death chamber in Florida, which has now carried out 10 of
the 16 executions conducted in the nation this year — more than every
other state combined.
Marilyn Gifford, Patricia’s sister, said after witnessing the execution
that Sochor’s death brings some closure to the family, but it’s
bittersweet since her body has never been found. She encouraged anyone
with information that could lead to the remains to contact authorities.
“He had 45 years to return Patty’s remains to us, but he cruelly chose
not to,” Gifford said, reading from a statement. “We never got a chance
to lay her to rest in God’s arms. Without closure, every happy memory of
Patty is immediately crushed by the tragedy of her murder.”
Gifford also pointed out that Sochor got to live more than twice as long
on death row as her sister lived her entire life. “Tonight’s execution
was appropriate because Dennis Sochor was a lifelong brutal and sadistic
man,” she said.
It’s unclear why Florida scheduled the executions of the three prisoners
consecutively.
[to top of second column]
|
Maria DeLiberato, legal director of Floridians for Alternatives to
the Death Penalty, noted that in Florida the governor has
practically sole discretion when it comes to scheduling executions.
In many other death penalty states, the scheduling is up to the
courts.
Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis' office did not respond to emailed
requests for comment about the recent pace of the executions.
A New Year's Day killing
According to court records, Gifford was celebrating the upcoming New
Year with a friend at a Fort Lauderdale area bar when they met
Sochor and his brother.
The four spent hours talking, but after the friend became ill and
went to sleep in her car, Gifford left with Sochor and his brother
to get breakfast. But instead of going for food, Sochor stopped his
truck in a secluded area and attacked Gifford, according to
investigators.
Sochor was later arrested in Georgia in 1986 on unrelated charges
and extradited to Florida. Sochor’s brother told police Sochor was
responsible for Gifford’s disappearance, and Sochor himself
confessed on tape to choking Gifford and disposing of her body. A
jury convicted him of first-degree murder and kidnapping in 1987,
and he was sentenced to death.
On Tuesday, the U.S. Supreme Court rejected Sochor's final appeal
without comment.
Oldest inmates executed in Florida
On June 25, Florida executed 74-year-old Dusty Ray Spencer for the
killing of his wife Karen. Until Tuesday, Spencer was the oldest
inmate executed in Florida.
According to Florida Department of Corrections records, the oldest
inmates previously executed by the state were both 72: Samuel Lee
Smithers on Oct. 14, 2025, for the 1996 killings of two women and R.
Charlie Gifford on Feb. 21, 1951, for the 1950 shooting of a state
representative, Charles Schuh Jr.
Meanwhile, Dominick Anthony Occhicone, 80, is scheduled to be
executed July 28 for the killings of his ex-girlfriend's parents.
If executed as planned, he would become the second oldest prisoner
known to be put to death in modern U.S. history after 83-year-old
Walter Moody Jr. Moody was executed in Alabama in 2018 for killing a
federal judge and a Black civil rights attorney during a wave of
Southern mail bombs.
All contents © copyright 2026 Associated Press. All rights reserved |
