A 74-year-old man was executed in Florida, setting a record as the oldest inmate executed in the state’s contemporary history. Dennis Sochor was pronounced dead at 6:16 p.m. following a three-drug lethal injection at Florida State Prison near Starke, according to the Florida Department of Corrections.
Sochor was convicted of first-degree murder and kidnapping after 18-year-old Patricia Gifford declined his sexual advances on January 1, 1982. The U.S. Supreme Court denied Sochor’s request for a stay of execution and dismissed his petition for a review, allowing the execution to proceed.
During the execution, Sochor was strapped to a gurney with an IV in his arm. He expressed remorse, apologizing repeatedly to the Gifford family, saying he was “deeply sorry” for his crime, as reported by a spokesman for Gov. Ron DeSantis’ office. He also extended gratitude to his loved ones and commended his spirit to Jesus Christ.
Prior to his execution, Sochor declined a final meal but met with one visitor and a spiritual advisor. He had encountered Gifford while celebrating New Year’s at a bar in the Fort Lauderdale area with his brother. The group conversed through the night before Gifford left with Sochor and his brother to have breakfast. Sochor then drove to a secluded spot, requested sex, and upon refusal, attacked the teenager, according to investigators.
Sochor was arrested in 1986 on unrelated charges and extradited to Florida, where he confessed to choking Gifford and disposing of her body. His brother informed authorities of Sochor’s responsibility for Gifford’s disappearance, though her body was never found.
In 1987, a jury found Sochor guilty of first-degree murder and kidnapping, sentencing him to death. Sochor’s execution marks the tenth in Florida this year. An 80-year-old prisoner is scheduled for execution later in July, and another 74-year-old inmate was executed last month. The previous year, 19 people were executed in Florida, setting a single-year record since the death penalty was reinstated in 1976, surpassing the previous record of eight in 1984 and 2014.
In 2025, Florida executed more individuals than any other state. Alabama, Texas, and South Carolina each executed five people, with a total of 47 executions across the U.S. that year.