We know the death penalty is cruel and that it debases us all, yet, Florida continues to push the bounds of this cruelty. Just one week ago, Florida executed Jeffrey “Ranger” Hutchinson, a Gulf War veteran suffering from combat-related brain damage and longstanding delusions. Now, with barely a moment to reflect, the State is charging forward with its next killing.
Glen Rogers is scheduled to be executed one week from tomorrow, on Thursday, May 15 at 6 pm, the fifth execution of 2025. Glen has been on Florida’s death row since 1997 for the 1995 murder of Tina Marie Cribbs. In 2023, we faced six executions, and we’re on a devastating track to surpass that death toll.
We are living in a system run on autopilot: witnessing a machinery of death that is growing more brazen, more reckless, and more disconnected from the values of justice and humanity. We cannot remain silent.
For years there has been media coverage about Glen’s crimes – crimes both confirmed and suspected – but what the sensational headlines don’t tell you is how badly the system failed him. Glen’s childhood was marked by unimaginable trauma. Before he was 10, he was physically and sexually abused, sex trafficked, and repeatedly exploited during all of his formative years.
These traumas caused lasting damage. Glen’s behavior and mental health deteriorated, and instead of receiving care, he was criminalized, cast aside, and ultimately sentenced to death. And now, instead of continuing to safely house Glen for the remainder of his natural life, as they have done for decades now without incident, the State of Florida intends to kill him, knowing full well that his execution raises profound constitutional, moral, and ethical concerns.
No one denies that Glen Rogers is responsible for committing violent irrevocable acts. And yet, as Florida rushes to kill him, we cannot ignore the fact that he is a survivor of sex trafficking and sexual violence. It is breathtakingly hypocritical to claim we care about trafficking victims while preparing to execute someone who was trafficked as a child.
And yet this session, our Legislature has done just that. They passed four death penalty expansion bills, which are sitting on Governor DeSantis’ desk now awaiting his signature. One of these bills authorizes the death penalty for the non-homicide crime of sex trafficking a child under 12.
Let’s get this straight: The State of Florida would execute the people who trafficked Glen, and in this case also execute Glen, the trafficked victim.
Take. Action. Now.
Click here to urge Governor DeSantis to stop Glen’s execution and grant clemency.
Click here to urge Governor DeSantis to veto the four death penalty expansion bills.
It is not too late to tell him to say no to these bills. It is also not too late to tell him to end this hypocrisy, and stop Glen’s execution.
Onward,
FADP Team
P.S. We know how much you’ve already done—showing up, speaking out, standing with us. But with the alarming pace of executions in Florida, we urgently need your support to keep going. Please make a donation today.