Florida Executes Harold Lucas, 14th Death This Year in State's Busiest Death Chamber

Harold Lucas, convicted of killing a 16-year-old girl in 1976, is set to be executed in Florida on Tuesday.

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Harold Gene Lucas, 74, is scheduled to be executed by lethal injection at Florida State Prison near Starke on Tuesday, July 28, 2026, at 6 p.m. ^[1] Lucas is the 14th prisoner to be executed in Florida this year, making the state the nation's busiest death chamber with 47 total executions in the U.S. in 2025. ^[2] Lucas was convicted of killing Jill Piper and wounding her friends, Richard Byrd Jr. and Terri Rice, after Piper rejected his romantic advances. ^[3] Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has signed death warrants for two additional executions scheduled for September 10 and September 29, 2026. ^[4] Harold Lucas waived all post-conviction appeals and told a circuit judge he wanted to end his death row confinement as soon as possible. ^[5] Lucas was originally sentenced to death in 1977, but his sentence was overturned and reimposed four times over the next decade due to legal issues involving the sentencing process. ^[6] Lucas's final death sentence was imposed in 1990, and all subsequent appeals were unsuccessful, leaving his conviction for first-degree murder intact. ^[7]

What this stands on

Harold Gene Lucas, 74, is scheduled to be executed by lethal injection at Florida State Prison near Starke on Tuesday, July 28, 2026, at 6 p.m. · WKMG News 6 & ClickOrlando

Lucas is the 14th prisoner to be executed in Florida this year, making the state the nation's busiest death chamber with 47 total executions in the U.S. in 2025. · WKMG News 6 & ClickOrlando

Lucas was convicted of killing Jill Piper and wounding her friends, Richard Byrd Jr. and Terri Rice, after Piper rejected his romantic advances. · FOX 35 Orlando

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has signed death warrants for two additional executions scheduled for September 10 and September 29, 2026. · WKMG News 6 & ClickOrlando

Harold Lucas waived all post-conviction appeals and told a circuit judge he wanted to end his death row confinement as soon as possible. · WKMG News 6 & ClickOrlando

Lucas was originally sentenced to death in 1977, but his sentence was overturned and reimposed four times over the next decade due to legal issues involving the sentencing process. · FOX 35 Orlando

Lucas's final death sentence was imposed in 1990, and all subsequent appeals were unsuccessful, leaving his conviction for first-degree murder intact. · FOX 35 Orlando

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