Death Penalty

Jose Antonio Jimenez is scheduled to be executed on Tuesday, August 14, 2018, at 6:00 p.m. for the 1992 murder of Phyllis Minas. In an August 9 letter to Governor Rick Scott on behalf of the bishops of Florida, Michael Sheedy, executive director, appealed to the governor to commute Jimenez' death sentence to a life sentence without parole.

Dismemberment Abortion On Thursday, March 1, HB 1429 (Grall) passed the House (72-42). This FCCB-supported measure would prohibit physicians from knowingly performing a dismemberment abortion, a procedure conducted in the second-trimester that removes the body parts of an unborn child while the child is still alive. The companion bill in the Senate, SB 1890 (Mayfield), has not been heard in its committees of reference.

Eric Scott Branch was pronounced dead at 7:05 p.m. Thursday, February 22 after receiving a lethal injection at Florida State Prison. Mr. Branch was convicted of the 1993 murder of Susan Morris, a University of West Florida student. Prior to the execution, Catholic faithful and members of the community gathered to pray for the victim and aggressor, and their families, for an end to the use of the death penalty, and for Governor Scott as he confronted the decision to proceed with the execution. We thank all of our FLCAN members who sent a message to the governor urging him to commute Mr. Branch's sentence to life in prison without the possibility of parole.