Three veterans. Three execution dates. One relentless system.
On Tuesday, Governor Ron DeSantis signed yet another death warrant — this time for U.S. Army veteran Richard Randolph (Malik Abdul-Sajjad), setting his execution for November 20 at 6 p.m.
Florida now has three men on death watch:
- Norman Mearle Grim — October 28
- Bryan Frederick Jennings — November 13
- Richard Randolph (Malik Abdul-Sajjad) — November 20
All three are veterans, and all three are scheduled to die within just 23 days — the fastest pace of executions in modern Florida history. This killing spree does not make us safer; it only deepens the cycle of harm.
Malik’s story reveals everything wrong with Florida’s death penalty. After graduating high school, he enlisted in the Army, serving honorably before turning to drugs to self-medicate childhood trauma that the military failed to address. His addiction deepened after discharge, shaping the tragedy for which he was sentenced to death.
The jury that recommended his execution did so by a narrow 8-4 vote, a practice the U.S. Supreme Court ruled unconstitutional less than ten years ago. Instead of fixing that injustice, Florida’s leaders brought it back.
Decades later, newly discovered evidence has rewritten Malik’s life story. He has learned that he was never unwanted: his birth mother, a 17-year-old girl at the time of his adoption, spent fifty years searching for him. This truth, hidden from him for decades, fundamentally changes how any fair-minded juror would have understood his life, trauma, and humanity.
Florida should not be executing anyone. And it surely should not be executing a veteran who lived with lifelong trauma and mental illness, especially under a sentencing scheme that violates a clear mandate from the U.S. Supreme Court.
In solidarity,
Floridians for Alternatives to the Death Penalty (FADP)
P.S. Each warrant signed is another chapter in a dark record we refuse to let Florida erase. Your support allows FADP to bear witness, mobilize communities, and tell the truth about every life at risk. Stand with us in this fight for justice and mercy. Donate now.