A Florida man known as the “Ninja Killer” has been executed 30 years after a jury convicted him of murdering a couple in 1989.
According to the French news agency AFP, the Florida Department of Corrections said in a statement that “56-year-old Louis Gascon was killed by lethal injection of poison at 6:30 p.m.
Louis Gascon’s sentence is one of three death sentences upheld so far this year by the state’s Republican governor, DeSantis.
Gaskin was dubbed the “Ninja Killer” by the media because he was dressed in all black during the December 20, 1989, incident.
According to court documents, Louis Gascon, armed with a rifle, opened fire on a New Jersey couple from a standstill during the incident.
As a result, one person was killed while his wife was injured, but they also shot and killed the woman while she was trying to escape.
Gaskin actually stole the clock, lamp, and other items from the house to give to his girlfriend as a Christmas present.
During a robbery at another house on the same night, Gaskin injured a man who escaped with his wife in a car.
Louis Gascon was arrested two weeks later and confessed to his crimes.
The jury voted 4-8 to recommend the death penalty. At that time, only a majority vote was required for the death penalty.
A unanimous vote is now required to recommend execution to the state.
After Gaskin’s conviction, his lawyers filed multiple appeals, arguing that he suffered from psychological problems.
In 1991, a Florida appeals court recognised that he was suffering from schizophrenia but ruled that he was fully aware of what he was doing and was therefore legally responsible.
The state’s Republican governor, DeSantis, signed Gascon’s death warrant last month, and the U.S. Supreme Court rejected his final appeal.
The death penalty is legal in 27 US states, and 10 people, including Gaskin, have been executed since the start of the year.
