Mark Allen Geralds, who faces execution on December 9 for the 1989 murder of Tressa Lynn Pettibone, has formally waived all remaining postconviction and appellate proceedings, accelerating the execution process in a year that has already seen Florida set a modern-era record for capital punishment.
On Monday, the Circuit Court in Bay County, Florida, issued an Order Granting Defendant’s Motion to Dismiss All Pending Postconviction Proceedings and Appellate Review. This order confirms Geralds’ decision, which he communicated to his counsel, Adrienne Shepherd of the Office of Capital Collateral Regional Counsel – North.
The court order details a hearing where Geralds, 58, was placed under oath for an extensive colloquy to ensure the decision was voluntary and informed. The Court found that:
- Competence: Geralds was alert, understood the English language, and did not suffer from any mental illness that would interfere with his rational understanding of the facts and the reason for his pending execution.
- Voluntary Decision: Geralds testified that his wish was to forego all warrant proceedings and allow the execution to proceed, stating that no one had threatened, improperly influenced, or bribed him.
- Finality: He fully understood his right to challenge the warrant and the permanent consequences of waiving all postconviction proceedings and appellate review.
The Court ultimately found that Geralds was competent and that his decision to dismiss all collateral proceedings was knowingly, intelligently, and voluntarily made, effectively ending the legal fight against his death warrant.
The Murder
Geralds is slated for lethal injection for the murder of Tressa Lynn Pettibone, a 33-year-old Panama City Beach mother who was violently killed in her home on February 1, 1989. Court records detail that Pettibone was beaten and stabbed three times in the neck.
The medical examiner noted numerous bruises and abrasions from blunt trauma, and determined Pettibone’s wrists had been bound with a plastic tie for at least twenty minutes prior to her death, as detailed by Attorney General James Uthmeier in a case review.
Pettibone’s body was tragically discovered by her 8-year-old son, Bart, upon returning home from school. Geralds was convicted in 1990 of first-degree murder, armed robbery, burglary, and grand theft auto. His conviction and death sentence, which was based on a unanimous jury recommendation, were upheld by the Florida Supreme Court in 2006.
Decades of Legal Review Concluded
The court order also summarized the decades-long legal journey of Geralds’ case:
- 1990: Geralds was convicted of first-degree murder, armed robbery, burglary, and theft of an automobile, and initially sentenced to death.
- 1992 & 1996: The Florida Supreme Court affirmed the conviction but ordered a resentencing, after which the death sentence was affirmed again.
- 2010 – 2022: Geralds’ initial postconviction motions, challenges to the effectiveness of counsel, and a challenge under Hurst v. Florida were all denied by both the Florida and U.S. Supreme Courts, as well as the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals.
With the exhaustion of appeals confirmed and Geralds’ final waiver granted, the path is now clear for his execution, which is scheduled for December 9, 2025, at 6:00 p.m.
Context of Record-Setting Executions
Geralds’ scheduled execution comes as Florida Governor Ron DeSantis keeps the record pace of signing death warrants. If the Dec. 9 execution is carried out, Geralds would be the 18th Death Row inmate executed in 2025.
This number significantly exceeds the previous modern-era record of eight executions in a single year, a pace the Governor has stated is necessary to deliver justice to victims’ families after years of legal delays.
READ: Florida Supreme Court Affirms Death Sentence For 1979 Child Killer, Execution Date Nov. 13
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