Earlier today, the Florida Supreme Court denied all pending appeals for U.S. Marine Corps Veteran Bryan Frederick Jennings, whose execution is set for next Thursday, November 13 — just two days after Veterans Day. The U.S. Supreme Court is the next (and final) step for his legal claims.
In its decision, the Court, referring to clemency, wrote that the People of the State of Florida have vested “sole, unrestricted, unlimited discretion exclusively in the executive in exercising this act of grace.” This is a remarkable amount of power to place in the hands of any one person, and it is even more remarkable when you consider that Bryan hasn’t undergone an interview with the Florida Board of Executive Clemency since 1988.
That clemency board — currently made up of Governor DeSantis, Attorney General James Uthmeier, Chief Financial Officer Blaise Ingoglia, and Agriculture Commissioner Wilton Simpson — includes the very officials who signed and defended Bryan’s warrant, sponsored the 2023 law restoring non-unanimous death sentences, and publicly championed expanding the death penalty. In other words, Bryan’s death warrant and the slight possibility of clemency rest entirely in the hands of people who have never shown any willingness to consider the totality of Bryan’s case. The fact that the crime in this case was horrific must be considered, but so must Bryan’s severe substance use disorder, his growth during his 46 years on death row, and the fact that his state court counsel was only appointed after his warrant was signed. To date, this has not occurred. The odds of mercy, or an “act of grace” in such a violent system are painfully clear.
But this ruling also reminds us of something deeper: the power still exists right now to choose mercy. The Court makes clear that Governor DeSantis can stop this execution at any time, for any reason. That means every voice, every petition signature, every letter, and every act of public witness still matters. Please take action for Bryan now.
If the execution does proceed next Thursday, FADP and our allies will hold simultaneous vigils and protests across the state. Please make plans to join us, whether that is across from Florida State Prison in Raiford, at one of the local vigils, or at the virtual vigil hosted by Death Penalty Action and FADP. Remember, every act of public witness matters.
Malik Randolph: A Changed Man on Death Row
Just one week after Bryan’s scheduled execution, U.S. Army Veteran Richard “Malik” Randolph (Malik Abdul-Sajjad) is set to die on Thursday, November 20. If carried out, it would be Florida’s seventeenth execution this year, continuing the state’s spree at the deadliest pace in centuries.
Malik was adopted and raised in an abusive home where he was beaten, locked in closets, and told he was worthless. He joined the military for a sense of meaning and served honorably However, his unhealed trauma ultimately led him to self-medicate through addiction.
Malik committed a horrific crime in 1988. Minnie Ruth McCollum’s life mattered, and Malik absolutely did not deserve to take it away from her.
Just as we do not have the right to take Malik’s from him. Malik is not the 27-year-old he was when he got to death row. He is now a 63-year-old with systemic lupus and failing health. He has found faith in Islam and has spent decades mentoring others while living peacefully behind bars.
Florida’s leaders still have time to choose compassion. Malik’s case is now before the same clemency board that can still grant Bryan Jennings relief — the very officials who hold “sole, unrestricted, unlimited discretion” over life and death in this state. Please take action for Malik now.
We refuse to surrender our humanity to this machinery of death. We will not be silent as our state kills in our name.
Onward,
The FADP Team
P.S. Our team shows up at every vigil, supports every family, and speaks out for mercy when it’s hardest to find. Your donation keeps that work alive. Please give if you can.