Florida executes man who killed 75-year-old woman in 2004

Florida State Prison executed Jesse Guardado on Thursday evening. The 64-year-old inmate, who was convicted of murdering a woman in the Panhandle in 2004, received a lethal injection at 6 p.m. The Department of Corrections announced that he was pronounced dead at 6:13 p.m.

Guardado was already seated on the gurney with an intravenous line in his arm when the curtain to the death chamber was drawn. He told witnesses he wanted to apologize for the pain and suffering caused to his own family and the victim’s relatives. After the drugs were administered, his breathing became heavy, and he exhibited sputtering and twitching. A warden shook him and called his name but received no response before a medic confirmed his death.

The U.S. Supreme Court denied a request to pause the execution on Thursday afternoon. The Florida Supreme Court had previously rejected a similar petition the prior week. Legal representatives for Guardado had argued that the state’s clemency process violated due process rights and challenged the specific lethal injection protocol used in the state.

This execution brings the total number of inmates put to death in Florida this year to 19. That figure ties the record set in 2025, which stood as the highest annual count since the U.S. Supreme Court reinstated the death penalty in 1976. Governor Ron DeSantis, who is leaving office in January, has signed two additional warrants. If those executions proceed, his tenure will see a total of 49 deaths on death row, setting a new single-year state record.

Patrick Malone, the son of the victim, addressed reporters following the execution. He questioned the reasoning of those who oppose the death penalty, asking if they consider the lasting impact of the crime on the surviving family. He noted that families relive the tragedy every time the case is brought up.

Court records show that Guardado killed Jackie Malone, then 75, on September 13, 2004, at her Walton County home. Guardado had been a tenant and guest at her secluded residence. At the time of the murder, he was on conditional release from prison, a status that began in January 2003. His supervision was scheduled to run until February 6, 2014. He had previously served sentences for robbery in Orange and Seminole counties.

According to the records, Guardado arrived at Malone’s house armed with a metal breaker bar and a kitchen knife after a planned robbery of a local grocery store fell through. He asked to use the phone. When Malone turned her back, he struck her repeatedly in the head. She raised her hands to defend herself before falling to the floor. Believing she was still alive, Guardado stabbed her several times and slashed her throat. He then took a jewelry box, briefcase, purse, and cellphone.

Governor DeSantis has stated that his goal is to deliver justice for victims' families who have waited for years or decades for appeals to conclude. During a 2025 appearance in Jacksonville, he said he wants to ensure that when all legal avenues are exhausted, he is fulfilling his part to provide closure. He has also described the death penalty as a strong deterrent if sentences are carried out more quickly.

The governor has already signed a warrant for the execution of Thomas Mitchell Overton, who is scheduled to be put to death on November 19. Overton, who turned 71 on Thursday, killed a couple in Tavernier in 1992. A second warrant was signed last Friday for Ricardo Gonzalez, 56, who is set to be executed on December 1. Gonzalez killed North Miami Beach police officer Steven Bauer during a bank robbery in 1992.