THE US state of Florida yesterday executed a man convicted of murdering and sexually assaulting two women in 1984, rejecting a final plea of insanity.

Duane Owen, 62, was put to death by lethal injection at Florida State Prison at 6.14pm (2214 GMT) “without incident,” Florida Department of Corrections spokesman Kayla McLaughlin said. 

In one of the murders, Owen broke into a home in the southern Florida city of Boca Raton and bludgeoned a 38-year-old woman to death with a hammer as her children slept in other rooms, then sexually assaulted her, a jury found in 1988.

Her children discovered her body the next morning as they prepared for school.

At trial, Owen confessed to the murder of the woman, who was not further identified in court documents since she was a sexual assault victim.

After reaching a verdict on Owen’s guilt, the jury recommended a death sentence on a 10-to-2 vote, and the judge followed the jury’s recommendation. – AFP, June 16, 2023.