Florida Executes Woman’s Killer
A Florida man convicted of abducting and killing a woman more than four decades ago was executed by lethal injection Tuesday evening, marking the state’s 10th execution of the year — the highest number in a single year in Florida’s modern history.
Kayle Bates, 67, was pronounced dead at 6:17 p.m. at Florida State Prison near Starke. His execution followed the signing of a death warrant by Governor Ron DeSantis. Two additional executions are scheduled in the coming weeks.
Bates was convicted of first-degree murder, kidnapping, armed robbery, and attempted sexual battery in connection with the 1982 killing of Janet White in Bay County, located in the Florida Panhandle. According to court records, Bates abducted White from the insurance office where she worked, took her into nearby woods, attempted to sexually assault her, fatally stabbed her, and forcibly removed a diamond ring from her finger.
Randy White, the victim’s husband, was among those who witnessed the execution.
In the final weeks leading up to his death, Bates’ attorneys filed multiple appeals, including a federal lawsuit challenging the fairness of Governor DeSantis’ process for issuing death warrants. That lawsuit was dismissed, and both the Florida Supreme Court and the U.S. Supreme Court ultimately rejected his final legal challenges. Florida’s high court noted that Bates had decades to raise claims related to alleged brain damage and other mitigating factors.
Bates, a former member of the Florida National Guard, was the fourth veteran executed in the state this year. Several veterans’ organizations had urged the governor to grant clemency, arguing that executing veterans is incompatible with the state’s commitment to supporting those who served. In a letter signed by 130 veterans, advocates wrote: “We can never be a veteran-friendly state when our leader is signing off on their deaths at the hands of the State.”
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