Dennis Sochor, a 74-year-old man, is set to become the oldest inmate executed in Florida history. He has been on death row since the 1980s and his execution is scheduled for Tuesday.
Sochor was found guilty of first-degree murder and kidnapping in 1987, after being convicted of the 1982 murder of 18-year-old Patricia Gifford. Gifford had refused to have sex with Sochor, who was with his brother at a New Year's Day celebration in the Fort Lauderdale area.
According to investigators, Sochor attacked Gifford after she refused his advances, and her body was never found. Sochor was arrested in 1986 on unrelated charges and later confessed to choking Gifford and disposing of her body.
Sochor's brother had initially told authorities that Sochor was responsible for Gifford's disappearance, leading to Sochor's conviction and sentencing to death. His execution is set to take place through a three-drug injection at Florida State Prison in Bradford County, scheduled to start at 6 p.m.
While Sochor will be the oldest inmate in Florida to be executed, another 80-year-old prisoner is scheduled to be executed later in July. Sochor's case has been through the appeals process, with the Supreme Court denying his most recent appeal.
