A shadow falls over Florida State Prison near Starke as the state prepares for its second execution of the year. Melvin Trotter, 65, is slated to receive a lethal injection on Tuesday at 6 p.m., a culmination of decades of legal battles and a haunting crime.
The case dates back to 1986, a brutal attack on Virgie Langford in her Palmetto, Florida grocery store. Trotter was initially condemned to death in 1987, but a legal challenge forced a new sentencing hearing. Remarkably, the second jury also delivered the same ultimate punishment in 1993.
Langford, clinging to life, provided a crucial description to a truck driver who discovered her after the assault. She identified her attacker, and chillingly, recalled a Tropicana employee badge bearing the name “Melvin.” This detail, along with forensic evidence, would later prove pivotal.
Investigators discovered a T-shirt stained with Langford’s blood at Trotter’s home, and his handprint on a meat cooler within the store. These grim findings solidified the case against him, painting a stark picture of the violence that unfolded.
Florida is experiencing a surge in executions, a trend dramatically accelerated under Governor Ron DeSantis. Last year witnessed a record-breaking 19 executions, surpassing the previous high of eight in 2014. The state led the nation, with a total of 47 executions carried out across the U.S.
Trotter’s legal team launched last-minute appeals, arguing procedural errors in the death penalty protocols and citing his age as grounds for exemption. These pleas were swiftly denied by the Florida Supreme Court, leaving his fate seemingly sealed.
His final hope rests with the U.S. Supreme Court, where appeals remain pending. However, time is rapidly dwindling as Tuesday’s execution date looms large.
This execution follows closely on the heels of Ronald Palmer Heath, who was put to death on February 10th for the 1989 murder of travelling salesperson Michael Sheridan. Heath, 64, had met Sheridan at a bar with his brother before the fatal attack.
The state’s schedule doesn’t offer a reprieve. Two more executions are already planned for next month: Billy Leon Kearse on March 3rd, and Michael Lee King on March 17th, continuing Florida’s unprecedented pace.
The weight of these decisions, and the stories behind them, hang heavy as Florida continues to carry out the ultimate punishment.
