The Left loves to paint Ron DeSantis as extreme when he actually delivers what voters want.
They can’t stand when politicians follow through on their promises to protect children.
And Ron DeSantis signed one death warrant that proves he means business about justice.
DeSantis sets execution record while delivering justice for murdered child
Governor Ron DeSantis signed a death warrant Friday for Bryan Frederick Jennings, the monster who kidnapped, raped, and murdered 6-year-old Rebecca Kunash in 1979.¹
Jennings is scheduled to die by lethal injection on November 13 at Florida State Prison.
This execution will mark DeSantis’ 16th of 2025 – shattering Florida’s previous record of eight executions in a single year.²
The details of Jennings’ crime will make your blood boil.
https://twitter.com/FLDeathPenalty/status/1976758948049907889
On May 11, 1979, this Marine broke into little Rebecca’s bedroom in Merritt Island while her family slept nearby.³
He covered the 6-year-old’s mouth with his hand, carried her to his vehicle, and took her to a secluded canal area where he sexually assaulted her.
Following the attack, Jennings struck the child’s head against the ground, causing a skull fracture, before taking her into the water and drowning her.⁴
The sentencing judge called it "cold, calculated and premeditated" with no "pretence of moral or legal justification."⁵
Florida leads the nation in carrying out death sentences
While other states drag their feet on executions, DeSantis has made it clear that child killers won’t sit on death row for decades.
Florida has executed 13 people this year, with two more scheduled before Jennings’ date – Samuel Lee Smithers on Tuesday and Norman Mearle Grim Jr. on October 28.⁶
The previous modern-era record was eight executions in both 1984 and 2014.
DeSantis has already doubled that number with two months left in the year.
So far 35 people have been executed nationwide in 2025, with Florida leading the charge behind DeSantis’ aggressive approach to capital punishment.⁷
The most recent Florida execution was Victory Tony Jones on September 30, convicted of murdering a married couple during a 1990 robbery.
Critics love to whine about DeSantis’ "unprecedented pace" of executions, but voters elected him precisely because he promised to clean up the justice system.
What this really means for law and order
Look, here’s what’s really happening – DeSantis is showing other governors how to actually govern instead of virtue signaling.
The families of murder victims have waited decades for justice in some of these cases.
Jennings was finally convicted in 1986 after his initial two convictions were reversed on legal technicalities.⁸
Rebecca Kunash’s family has waited 46 years to see her killer face ultimate justice.
That’s what happens when you have a governor who prioritizes victims over criminals.
For folks who work for a living and want their children to be safe, this sends the right message – commit heinous crimes against kids in Florida, and you won’t live to brag about it.
The timing isn’t coincidental either.
DeSantis is making sure these executions happen before any potential change in federal policy or court decisions that might complicate things.
This is strategic governing at its finest – using executive power to deliver the justice voters demanded when they put him in office.
The professional activists will scream about "cruel and unusual punishment," but normal Americans understand there’s nothing cruel about executing child killers.
What’s cruel is forcing families to watch their loved one’s murderer live comfortably on death row for decades while taxpayers foot the bill.
¹ Associated Press, "Florida sets execution date for man who raped and murdered 6-year-old girl in 1979," ABC News, October 12, 2025.
² Ibid.
³ Mara Bellaby, "DeSantis signs death warrant in Merritt Island girl’s 1979 murder," Florida Today, October 11, 2025.
⁴ Ibid.
⁵ FlaglerLive, "DeSantis Signs Warrant to Kill Bryan Jennings, Murderer of 6-Year-Old Girl, for 16th Execution of the Year," October 11, 2025.
⁶ Associated Press, "Florida sets execution date for man who raped and murdered 6-year-old girl in 1979," ABC News, October 12, 2025.
⁷ Ibid.
⁸ FOX 35 Orlando, "Man convicted in 1979 murder of a Brevard County child to be executed next month," October 11, 2025.
