STARKE, Fla. — James Dennis Ford, 64, convicted of murdering Gregory and Kimberly Malnory during a fishing trip in 1997, is scheduled to be executed on Thursday evening at Florida State Prison. The execution, which is the state’s first in 2025, follows a death warrant signed by Governor Ron DeSantis in January.
Ford was convicted by a jury of the brutal murders of the Malnorys, who were killed at a remote farm in southwest Florida. The couple’s 22-month-old daughter witnessed the killings while strapped in her car seat in the family’s truck. The toddler survived 18 hours alone at the crime scene before being found covered in her mother’s blood.
Ford’s execution follows several failed appeals. Despite claims that Ford had an IQ of about 65 and suffered from mental health issues, the Florida Supreme Court upheld the death penalty. Ford’s attorneys argued that he was mentally disabled, but the court noted that only defendants under 18 at the time of their crime can be considered ineligible for execution.
The case remains notorious for the brutality of the crime, which included shooting Gregory Malnory in the head, bludgeoning him with an axe-like instrument, and shooting Kimberly after assaulting her. Ford’s DNA was found at the crime scene, and his conviction was supported by overwhelming evidence.
Ford’s execution will mark Florida’s first lethal injection of 2025, following one execution in 2024 and six in 2023.
