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A Florida man convicted of killing his estranged wife’s sister and parents before setting their house on fire 35 years ago will be put to death next month, which could extend the Sunshine State’s record number of executions to 12.
David Pittman, 63, is set to be executed on Sept. 17 under a death warrant signed by Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis on Friday.
Pittman was convicted in 1991 and sentenced to death on three counts of first-degree murder, as well as arson and grand theft, after the killings that were carried out the year before.
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Pittman and his wife, Marie, were going through a divorce when he went to the home of her parents, Clarence and Barbara Knowles, in May 1990 and stabbed them and their younger daughter, Bonnie, to death, according to officials.
He then lit the Polk County home on fire and stole Bonnie Knowles’ car before also setting the vehicle on fire, investigators said.
A witness identified Pittman as the man running away from the burning car and a jailhouse informant testified that Pittman had admitted to the stabbing deaths of his wife’s family.
The Florida Supreme Court will hear an appeal seeking to block the execution, and an appeal will also likely be filed with the U.S. Supreme Court.
In 2022, the state Supreme Court denied Pittman’s claim that he was intellectually disabled as well as allegations that his death sentence was illegal because he had not received an evidentiary hearing on his disability claim.
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Pittman is set to be the 12th person put to death in Florida this year, including Kayle Bates and Curtis Windom, who are scheduled for execution later this month.
Florida has executed more people this year than any other state, with 9 after an execution in July. Texas and South Carolina are tied for the second-most with four each.
Before this year, Florida’s previous record for executions in a year since the death penalty was restored in 1976 was eight in 2014.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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