Melvin Trotter’s execution by lethal injection on Tuesday, Feb. 24, 2026. Trotter was convicted of first-degree murder and sentenced to death in 1987 for strangling and stabbing Virgie Langford a year earlier in Palmetto
Photo gallery: Melvin Trotter execution at Florida State Prison
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A woman opposed to capital punishment stands apart from other protesters across the street from Florida State Prison in Raiford, Fla., before Melvin Trotter’s execution by lethal injection on Tuesday, Feb. 24, 2026. Trotter was convicted of first-degree murder and sentenced to death in 1987 for strangling and stabbing Virgie Langford a year earlier in Palmetto. (Libby Clifton/WUFT)
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The shadow of Rev. Floyd Lindsey Narcisse of Greater Saint Joseph AME Church bows its head as it falls across a poster of Jesus on the cross during a protest against the death penalty across the street from Florida State Prison in Raiford, Fla., before Melvin Trotter’s execution by lethal injection on Tuesday, Feb. 24, 2026. Trotter was convicted of first-degree murder and sentenced to death in 1987 for strangling and stabbing Virgie Langford a year earlier in Palmetto. (Libby Clifton/WUFT)
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Rev. Fred Ruse of the Diocese of Orlando holds a poster of Jesus on the cross during a protest against the death penalty across the street from Florida State Prison in Raiford, Fla., before Melvin Trotter’s execution by lethal injection on Tuesday, Feb. 24, 2026. (Libby Clifton/WUFT)
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A young girl reads scripture during an evening service held as part of a protest against the death penalty across the street from Florida State Prison in Raiford, Fla., before Melvin Trotter’s execution by lethal injection on Tuesday, Feb. 24, 2026. (Libby Clifton/WUFT)
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A woman turns to look for a bald eagle that Rev. Philip Egitto of Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Church pointed out during an evening service held as part of a protest against the death penalty across the street from Florida State Prison in Raiford, Fla., before Melvin Trotter’s execution by lethal injection on Tuesday, Feb. 24, 2026. (Libby Clifton/WUFT)
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Lauren Munn holds a rosary and a program with songs and prayers for an evening service held as part of a protest against the death penalty across the street from Florida State Prison in Raiford, Fla., before Melvin Trotter’s execution by lethal injection on Tuesday, Feb. 24, 2026. (Libby Clifton/WUFT)
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Protestors turn to watch the bald eagle fly away during an evening service held as part of a protest against the death penalty across the street from Florida State Prison in Raiford, Fla., before Melvin Trotter’s execution by lethal injection on Tuesday, Feb. 24, 2026. (Libby Clifton/WUFT)
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Rev. Floyd Lindsey Narcisse of Greater Saint Joseph AME Church speaks against Florida’s death penalty during an evening service held as part of a protest across the street from Florida State Prison in Raiford, Fla., before Melvin Trotter’s execution by lethal injection on Tuesday, Feb. 24, 2026. (Libby Clifton/WUFT)
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Susan Kaspari cries as she shields her eyes from the setting sun during an evening service held as part of a protest across the street from Florida State Prison in Raiford, Fla., before Melvin Trotter’s execution by lethal injection on Tuesday, Feb. 24, 2026. Kaspari traveled from Washington state to visit a friend who is on death row and has an upcoming execution. (Libby Clifton/WUFT)
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Matthew Ryan swings a hammer against a bell to signify his opposition to the death penalty before Melvin Trotter’s execution by lethal injection on Tuesday, Feb. 24, 2026, at Florida State Prison in Raiford, Fla. (Libby Clifton/WUFT)
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A protestor swings a hammer against a bell to signify his opposition to the death penalty before Melvin Trotter’s execution by lethal injection on Tuesday, Feb. 24, 2026, at Florida State Prison in Raiford, Fla. (Libby Clifton/WUFT)
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Grace Hanna, executive director of Floridians for Alternatives to the Death Penalty, swings a hammer against a bell to signify her opposition to the death penalty before Melvin Trotter’s execution by lethal injection on Tuesday, Feb. 24, 2026, at Florida State Prison in Raiford, Fla. (Libby Clifton/WUFT)
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The Rev. Philip Egitto of Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Church speaks against Florida’s death penalty during an evening service held as part of a protest across the street from Florida State Prison in Raiford, Fla., before Melvin Trotter’s execution by lethal injection on Tuesday, Feb. 24, 2026. (Libby Clifton/WUFT)
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Geralyn Mackritis holds a painting of Our Lady of Guadalupe while another protester shields the flame of a lit candle during an evening service held as part of a protest against the death penalty across the street from Florida State Prison in Raiford, Fla., before Melvin Trotter’s execution by lethal injection on Tuesday, Feb. 24, 2026. (Libby Clifton/WUFT)
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A young girl, who read scripture earlier in the evening, shields her eyes from the sun during a service held as part of a protest against the death penalty across the street from Florida State Prison in Raiford, Fla., before Melvin Trotter’s execution by lethal injection on Tuesday, Feb. 24, 2026. (Libby Clifton/WUFT)
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A woman shields her eyes from the sun during an evening service held as part of a protest against the death penalty across the street from Florida State Prison in Raiford, Fla., before Melvin Trotter’s execution by lethal injection on Tuesday, Feb. 24, 2026. Trotter was convicted of first-degree murder and sentenced to death in 1987 for strangling and stabbing Virgie Langford a year earlier in Palmetto, Fla. (Libby Clifton/WUFT)
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Laura Baber bows her head in prayer during a moment of silence for Melvin Trotter, who was convicted of first-degree murder and sentenced to death in 1987, after his assumed time of passing at a service held as part of a protest against the death penalty across the street from Florida State Prison in Raiford, Fla., on Tuesday, Feb. 24, 2026. (Libby Clifton/WUFT)
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Brianna Myers listens with tear-filled eyes to the evening service held as part of a protest against the death penalty across the street from Florida State Prison in Raiford, Fla., before Melvin Trotter’s execution by lethal injection on Tuesday, Feb. 24, 2026. (Libby Clifton/WUFT)
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Matthew Ryan leans against his mother, Geralyn Mackritis, who holds a painting of Our Lady of Guadalupe during an evening service held as part of a protest against the death penalty across the street from Florida State Prison in Raiford, Fla., before Melvin Trotter’s execution by lethal injection on Tuesday, Feb. 24, 2026. (Libby Clifton/WUFT)
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Brianna Myers holds a rosary during an evening service held as part of a protest against the death penalty across the street from Florida State Prison in Raiford, Fla., before Melvin Trotter’s execution by lethal injection on Tuesday, Feb. 24, 2026. (Libby Clifton/WUFT)
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A protester wears a hat with pins in opposition to the death penalty during an evening service held as part of a protest across the street from Florida State Prison in Raiford, Fla., before Melvin Trotter’s execution by lethal injection on Tuesday, Feb. 24, 2026. (Libby Clifton/WUFT)
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Susan Kaspari reads a program with songs and prayers for an evening service held as part of a protest against the death penalty across the street from Florida State Prison in Raiford, Fla., before Melvin Trotter’s execution by lethal injection on Tuesday, Feb. 24, 2026. Kaspari traveled from Washington state to visit a friend who is on death row and has an upcoming execution. (Libby Clifton/WUFT)
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Jordan Kirkland, director of communications at Florida State Prison, speaks to the press after Melvin Trotter’s execution by lethal injection on Tuesday, Feb. 24, 2026, at Florida State Prison in Raiford, Fla. (Libby Clifton/WUFT)