The Florida Supreme Court has given the final go-ahead for the execution of Bryan Fredrick Jennings, convicted decades ago for the 1979 murder of six-year-old Rebecca Kunash.
In a decision released Friday, the Court rejected every last-minute appeal filed by Jennings’s attorneys, affirming the death warrant signed by Governor Ron DeSantis. The execution is scheduled for November 13, 2025.
Jennings’s legal fight has been one of the longest in Florida history. He was convicted after his third trial in 1986 for the murder, which occurred when he was 20.
The Court’s 35-page ruling summarized the disturbing details: Jennings abducted the girl from her bedroom, sexually assaulted her, fractured her skull, and then drowned her.
The jury recommended the death penalty by an 11-1 vote. Since his conviction became final in 1988, Jennings and his lawyers have challenged the sentence more than 20 times in state and federal courts.
The Supreme Court dealt with three main arguments in this final appeal, ruling against Jennings on all counts:
- The “Stale” Clemency Review: Jennings argued that it was unfair for the Governor to rely on a clemency review done 36 years ago (in 1989).
- The Court’s Response: Justices stated this appeal was filed too late and that the power of clemency belongs solely to the Governor (the executive branch). The Court noted that Jennings had been represented by a lawyer during that initial 1989 review and was free to seek further clemency over the years, but didn’t.
- Lack of Continuous Legal Help: Jennings claimed his rights were violated because he was without a state-appointed lawyer for about three years after his previous private attorney died in 2022.
- The Court’s Response: The Court clarified that state law only requires a death row inmate to have a lawyer during active appeals and legal motions, not at all times between proceedings. Since he had federal lawyers and was appointed new state counsel as soon as the execution warrant was signed, the Court found no violation.
- Challenging Florida’s Death Penalty Law: Jennings attempted a final broad challenge to the state’s death penalty system, arguing that requiring a non-unanimous jury vote and the end of certain judicial reviews made it unfair.
- The Court’s Response: The Court flatly rejected these arguments, upholding the system’s constitutionality and repeating that the Governor has “broad discretion” in choosing which death warrants to sign.
By denying all appeals and motions, including the request to stay the execution, the Florida Supreme Court has exhausted the main state-level legal options.
The Court stated that “No motion for rehearing will be entertained,” meaning the decision is final at this level. The execution is scheduled for next week, November 13, 2025.
READ: Jury: Death For Florida Man Who Executed Girlfriend And Unborn Child In Park
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