U.S. Marine Corps veteran Lance Corporal Dusty Ray Spencer is scheduled to be executed on June 25, 2026, after spending more than 34 years on Florida’s death row. He was sentenced to death for the 1992 murder of his wife, Karen Spencer.

As Florida continues its unprecedented pace of executions, it is preparing to execute a 74-year-old Marine Corps veteran whom five jurors believed should receive a life sentence, despite significant mitigating evidence, serious health issues, and more than 34 years spent growing old behind prison walls. Today, Dusty is elderly, seriously ill, deeply committed to his faith, and poses no threat to society.

Nearly Half of Dusty’s Jury Agreed He Should Live

When Dusty Spencer was sentenced, five jurors voted for a life imprisonment rather than death. Today, no person in Florida could receive a death sentence based on a jury vote like Dusty’s. Even under Florida’s exceptionally low standard for imposing a death sentence, a jury as divided as 7-5 would not be enough. Indeed, in every death penalty state in the country, Dusty would not even be eligible for a death sentence based on the jury vote in his case.

Dusty Served His Country Honorably

The trial court itself recognized significant mitigating evidence in Dusty Spencer’s life, including his honorable service in the United States Marine Corps. During his military service, Dusty participated in rescue missions in the Philippines and served his country with distinction before the events that brought him to death row. His military service does not excuse the harm caused by his crime, but it is an important part of the life story that jurors were asked to consider when deciding whether he should live or die. Five jurors decided that it mattered.

Dusty is Now and Elderly and Seriously Ill Man

Dusty Spencer is no longer the man who entered death row more than thirty years ago. He is now 74-years-old and suffers from serious illnesses including liver disease. Those who know him describe a person deeply committed to his faith and focused on living peacefully within the prison environment. He poses no risk to society and will never again live outside prison walls.

If the State carries out its sentence, Dusty will be the oldest person ever executed in Florida. It is ironic that a state that prides itself on how it treats its elders is so willing to extinguish the life of one.