DeSantis Signs 10th Death Warrant in Florida for 1982 Murder

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has signed a death warrant for Kayle Barrington Bates, who is scheduled to be executed on August 19 for the 1982 abduction and murder of Janet Renee White from a Bay County insurance office. Bates was convicted in 1983 of first-degree murder, kidnapping, armed robbery, and attempted sexual battery, and after a resentencing hearing in 1995, he was again sentenced to death. The U.S. Supreme Court declined to hear an appeal related to a juror from Bates' original trial, leading to the signing of the death warrant. Bates' attorney plans to file further appeals, arguing that the execution would violate the U.S. Constitution. This execution would be Florida's 10th this year, continuing a record pace of lethal injections in the state in 2025. The crime was notably brutal, with Bates overpowering White, taking her to the woods, and inflicting numerous wounds before killing her.