STARKE, Fla. — A Florida man sentenced for the murders of a couple during a fishing excursion almost three decades ago is set to face execution via lethal injection. James Dennis Ford, aged 64, is scheduled to receive the death penalty on Thursday evening at Florida State Prison. This marks Florida’s inaugural execution of the year, following one execution in 2024 and six in 2023.
Governor Ron DeSantis signed the death warrant for Ford in January. The U.S. Supreme Court recently denied his final appeal without offering any comments. Ford was convicted by a jury for the murders of 25-year-old Gregory Malnory and his 26-year-old wife Kimberly Malnory during a fishing trip in 1997 at a secluded sod farm located in southwest Florida. Notably, Ford and Gregory Malnory worked together at the same farm, according to court records.
Tragically, the Malnorys’ 22-month-old daughter was an eyewitness to the brutal acts, confined to a seat in their pickup truck at the time. She endured 18 hours alone before workers discovered the crime scene. Investigators noted that she was found soaked in her mother’s blood, along with suffering multiple insect bites.
Ford’s attack on Gregory Malnory began shortly after they arrived for fishing. Reportedly, Ford shot Malnory in the head with a .22-caliber rifle, followed by beating him with a blunt instrument resembling an axe, and ultimately, slitting his throat. Regarding Kimberly Malnory, authorities revealed that Ford beat, raped, and then shot her using the same firearm.
Initially, Ford presented a narrative to investigators that the Malnorys were still alive when he left them to go hunting, insinuating that another individual was responsible for their deaths. However, prosecutors countered that there was irrefutable evidence linking Ford to the murders and the sexual assault. A rifle crucial to the case was later discovered in a ditch, near the location where Ford’s truck had run out of gas. DNA evidence presented during the trial confirmed Ford’s involvement in both deaths, leading the jury to recommend the death penalty with an 11-1 vote, which the trial judge upheld.
Over the years, Ford’s legal team has pursued numerous appeals, all of which have been unsuccessful. Recently, the Florida Supreme Court dismissed claims regarding Ford’s low IQ, which was about 65 at the time of the crimes, arguing that it classified him as intellectually disabled and thereby rendered him ineligible for execution. The court clarified that only individuals who were under 18 at the time of their crime could be exempt from the death penalty. Since Ford was 36 when the killings occurred, he fails to meet the exemption criteria.
While court records lack clarity on the motives behind the heinous crimes, Ford’s defense claimed he endured childhood abuse and followed his father’s path into alcoholism, reportedly consuming significant amounts of beer and liquor daily. Furthermore, he grappled with untreated diabetes, which sometimes resulted in blackouts and unpredictable behavior.
In addition to facing the death penalty, Ford was also convicted of sexual battery with a firearm and child abuse. If the execution proceeds as planned, it will be the first in Florida for 2025. A solitary execution took place in 2024, a decrease from the six in 2023, a period during which DeSantis campaigned for the Republican presidential nomination. For the three years prior, no executions were authorized by the governor.
The Death Penalty Information Center highlights that Florida employs a lethal injection procedure comprising a trio of drugs: a sedative, a paralytic agent, and a drug that induces cardiac arrest.
