STARKE, Fla. — On Wednesday, the U.S. Supreme Court rejected the last appeal from James Dennis Ford, who is slated for execution in Florida for the 1997 murders of a married couple.
The court’s decision was made without any additional commentary. The execution is scheduled to take place Thursday evening at Florida State Prison, located just outside of Starke. This event will mark Florida’s first execution of 2025.
Ford was found guilty by a jury for the murders of Gregory Malnory, who was 25 years old, and 26-year-old Kimberly Malnory. The tragic incidents occurred during a fishing trip at a secluded sod farm in southwest Florida in 1997. Notably, Ford and Gregory Malnory were colleagues working at the same farm, as indicated by court documents.
The couple’s young daughter, who was only 22 months old at the time, witnessed the horrific events. After the murders, she was left alone for hours in a parked pickup truck, unrestrained and exposed to the elements, leading to multiple insect bites and severe dehydration until workers discovered her, alongside the bodies of her parents.
In attempts to save Ford from execution, his legal team put forward several appeals, arguing that he should be considered for clemency due to his mental capacity at the time of the crimes; they claimed he had the mental age of a 14-year-old. However, these appeals were firmly denied by the courts, affirming the conviction and sentence.