Florida executed Dennis Sochor, 74, by lethal injection on Tuesday, July 14, 2026, at the Florida State Prison near Starke.
He was one of the oldest death row inmates in state history.
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Sochor was pronounced dead at 6:16 p. m.
after receiving a three-drug cocktail that began at 6:03 p. m.
He was convicted for the 1982 kidnapping and murder of 18-year-old Patricia Gifford.
Before the execution, the warden asked Sochor if he had any final words. He apologized several times to the Gifford family, saying he was “deeply sorry.”
He also thanked his own loved ones for their support.
Sochor then commended his spirit to Jesus Christ. He experienced a minute of heavy breathing and sputtering before becoming still.
The execution highlights Florida's aging death row demographic. The state has now conducted 10 of the 16 executions in the United States this year.
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Marilyn Gifford, the victim's sister, witnessed the execution. She said it brings some closure, but noted that her sister's remains have never been recovered.
“He had 45 years to return Patty’s remains to us, but he cruelly chose not to,” Gifford said in a statement.
She added that Sochor lived more than twice as long on death row as her sister did in her entire life.
“Tonight’s execution was appropriate because Dennis Sochor was a lifelong brutal and sadistic man,” she said.
According to court records, Gifford met Sochor and his brother during a New Year's Eve celebration in Fort Lauderdale.
She was later abducted and choked to death.
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Sochor was arrested in Georgia in 1986, extradited to Florida, and sentenced to death in 1987 following a taped confession.
