Cecilia McAdams thought about her husband and the life they once shared as she watched his murderer enter the execution chamber 21 years, six months and four days after his crime.
Johnny Shane Kormondy shot and killed her husband, Gary, in 1993 during a home robbery, and raped McAdams. Two other men were involved in the crime and are serving life sentences in prison.
“It was almost a little bit surreal, like the last 21 years has been,” McAdams said. “I can’t believe that this actually happened to us, but the reality is that it has. It was just a lot of flashback memories.”
McAdams' brother-in-law, Thomas, and her sister-in-law, Terri, younger siblings of her husband, accompanied her to the execution.
“I am overwhelmed,” Terri McAdams said. “I’m so glad that this journey has come to an end with this monster. I can truly say that I am glad that this is done and over. I’m ready to celebrate Gary’s life.”
Gov. Rick Scott ordered Kormondy’s execution in November.
Kormondy, 42, was put to death by lethal injection and pronounced dead at 8:16 p.m. According to officials, he chose to take a sedative before the injection was administered.
Florida State Prison used the same three-drug cocktail (midazolam hydrochloride) that was used in a botched execution in Oklahoma in April 2014.
Because of the unusual circumstances of the April execution, death penalty opposition groups in Oklahoma petitioned the United States Supreme Court to stop another execution in that state, which was scheduled for Thursday at 7 p.m. Due to the use of the same drug combination in Florida, the Court also halted Kormondy's 6 p.m. execution.
Florida has now used this drug combination, consisting of midazolam, vecuronium bromide and potassium chloride, 12 times without incident, despite complications elsewhere.
The Court ultimately decided to allow the executions in a 5-4 vote.
“It’s been a long road,” McAdams said. “I have a lot of people to thank. This’ll forever be a part of my life. I have a lot of gratitude toward those that have helped.”
Kormondy’s final words were directed at his family, his legal counselor and “his lord and savior, Jesus Christ,” according to McKinley Lewis, press secretary of the Florida Department of Corrections.
For his last meal, Kormondy ate fried alligator tail, fried shrimp, fried okra, fried eggs, vanilla ice cream, hash browns and cream soda.
Kormondy is the 21st inmate to be executed under Scott.
Six people visited Kormondy on the day of his death, including his mother, two brothers, his sister, his son and a spiritual adviser. Lewis said family members of inmates sentenced to death cannot witness the executions due to Florida law.