A 74-year-old man was executed in Florida on Tuesday, marking him as the oldest inmate executed in the state’s modern history. Dennis Sochor was pronounced dead at 6:16 p.m. following a three-drug injection at Florida State Prison near Starke, according to the Florida Department of Corrections. He was convicted of first-degree murder and kidnapping after 18-year-old Patricia Gifford refused to engage in sexual relations with him on January 1, 1982.
The U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday, without issuing a comment, denied Sochor’s request for a stay of execution. They also dismissed his petition for review, allowing the execution to proceed as planned. At the time of execution, Sochor was strapped to a gurney with an IV in his arm as the curtain to the death chamber lifted.
The Associated Press reported that Sochor apologized multiple times to the Gifford family, expressing deep remorse for his crime. He also thanked his loved ones for their support and expressed his spiritual commitment to Jesus Christ. Sochor declined a last meal and spent time with one visitor and a spiritual advisor before his execution.
According to Fox 13, Sochor and his brother encountered Gifford while she was celebrating at a bar in the Fort Lauderdale area on New Year’s Day. They conversed through the night before Gifford left with Sochor and his brother for breakfast. Investigators stated that Sochor drove to a secluded area and attacked the teenager after she refused his advances.
Authorities arrested Sochor in 1986 on unrelated charges and extradited him to Florida, where he confessed to choking Gifford and disposing of her body. His brother testified that Sochor was responsible for Gifford’s disappearance, though Gifford’s body was never found. A jury convicted Sochor of first-degree murder and kidnapping in 1987, resulting in a death sentence.
Sochor was the oldest inmate executed in Florida’s modern history. An 80-year-old prisoner is slated for execution later this July. Another 74-year-old inmate was executed last month. Sochor’s case marked the 10th execution in Florida this year.
In 2025, Florida set a record with 19 executions, the highest number since the death penalty’s reinstatement in 1976. Florida also topped the nation in executions last year, with Alabama, Texas, and South Carolina following with five each. Across the U.S., 47 people were executed in 2025.