Warning: This article contains discussion of rape which some readers may find distressing.
After nearly thirty years, a man responsible for murdering a young couple during a fishing trip has been executed.
James Dennis Ford, who had been on death row, was executed by lethal injection on Thursday (February 13) for the murders of Gregory and Kimberly Malnory. Prior to the execution, he uttered a chilling six-word statement.
On April 6, 1997, Ford invited his colleague Gregory for a fishing outing at the South Florida Sod Farm in Punta Gorda, located in southwest Florida. Gregory, 25, attended the trip with his 26-year-old wife Kimberley and their 22-month-old daughter Maranda.
Upon arriving at the location, Ford, armed with a gun, shot Gregory in the head with a rifle, bludgeoned him with a blunt object, and then slit his throat.
During the terrifying incident, Kimberly sustained injuries but managed to escape with her child in their vehicle. Tragically, Ford pursued them, ultimately raping and killing Kimberly in front of her daughter.
Though their toddler was not harmed by Ford, she was discovered over 18 hours later, dehydrated and with insect bites, inside the truck with her mother’s blood on her.
After spending 26 years on death row, 64-year-old Ford was declared dead at 6:19 pm ET at the Florida State Prison in Raiford.
In his final written statement, prison staff reported to WWSB that he wrote: “Hugs Prayers Love!!! God Bless everyone!!!!”
For his last meal, Ford requested steak, fried okra, macaroni and cheese, sweet potato, pumpkin pie for dessert, and sweet tea.
At the execution, Gregory’s mother, Connie Ankney, expressed her feelings to reporters: “This is the day for final justice for Kim and Greg. I hope he burns in hell.”
The surviving daughter of the Malnorys, Maranda, also commented on the execution of her parents’ killer.
“I told one of my grandmas the other day you grieve the people you knew,” she shared with Gulf Coast News. “But I grieve what could have been.”
“Technically, my worst enemy is the person who did this. But I wouldn’t wish this on my worst enemy,” she added.
Maranda was 13 when she learned the truth about why her parents were no longer with her and how they died.
On Facebook, she posted: “I love you forever mommy and daddy!”
If you have been impacted by any issues mentioned in this article, you can reach out to The National Sexual Assault Hotline at 800.656.HOPE (4673), available 24/7. Alternatively, you can chat online at online.rainn.org