A Florida man, found guilty of murdering a husband and wife in the presence of their young child, has been executed. James Dennis Ford, 64, was executed by a three-drug lethal injection on Thursday at 6:19 p.m. at Florida State Prison in Raiford, Florida. State officials confirmed the execution, according to the Associated Press.
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Ford’s execution was the first carried out in Florida in 2025 and the fourth nationwide, per the Death Penalty Information Center.
Just moments before his execution, Ford chose to remain silent, offering no final words. However, his final written statement read, “Hugs Prayers Love!!! God Bless everyone,” per local news station WWSB.
On Wednesday, the U.S. Supreme Court rejected his final appeal. His attorneys had argued that Ford had an intellectual disability, asserting that this should exempt him from receiving the death penalty.
James Dennis Ford Spent More Than 25 Years on Death Row
Ford spent over 25 years on death row for the murders of Gregory Malnory, 25, and Kimberly Malnory, 26. The couple was killed in April 1997 during a fishing trip at a remote farm in southwest Florida with their 22-month-old daughter. Authorities reported that their young child was the only survivor of the tragic incident, according to WWSB.
According to authorities, Ford initially targeted Gregory, shooting him with a rifle, beating him, and slitting his throat. He then turned his violence toward Kimberly, raping and beating her before ultimately shooting her to death. Court records, per USA Today, reveal that the couple’s young daughter witnessed the horrific attack from the backseat of their truck.
Approximately 18 hours later, farm workers discovered the toddler still strapped in the car, covered in blood and insect bites. Authorities reported that the child was also severely dehydrated.
According to court records cited by the AP, Ford first told investigators that the couple was alive when he last saw them. However, DNA evidence and the discovery of his rifle in a nearby ditch eventually connected him to the crime scene. The motive is still unknown.
Maranda Malnory, the couple’s daughter, recently shared her story with WBBH. She shared that she doesn’t remember the tragic murders and only learned the truth about her parents’ deaths when she was 13.
“Technically, my worst enemy is the person who did this,” Malnory told the local outlet. “But I wouldn’t wish this on my worst enemy.”
“I told one of my grandmas the other day you grieve the people you knew,” she added. “But I grieve what could have been.”