The daughter of a death row killer’s victims attended his execution yesterday (30 September).
35 years after he murdered Irene Fisher’s parents, Victor Tony Jones died by lethal injection in Florida State Prison.
His death marks the 13th person to be executed in the US state so far this year, with him being pronounced dead by a medic at 6:13pm local time.
The 64-year-old murdered married couple Jacob, 67, and Matilda Nestor, 66, right before Christmas back in 1990 after he’d been hired to work at their medical supply store in Miami.
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Killing them during a robbery, he stabbed Matilda in the neck and Jacob in the chest, but Jacob managed to retreat to an office and fire a pistol at Jones.
Police then found the killer wounded at the scene, and he was hospitalised after one shot struck his forehead.
Jones’ pockets had been filled with money and personal property belonging to the Nestors, and the jury had found him guilty of armed robbery.
The 1993 jury also found him guilty on two counts of first-degree murder, and he was sentenced to death.
The couple’s daughter, Irene Fisher, was among the witnesses at Jones’ execution last night, taking her two adult daughters with her alongside three other family members.
“After seeing what I saw tonight, I wish my parents had that opportunity to die so gracefully, close your eyes and just go,” she said.
“They were violently killed. My father fought for 20 minutes with a stab wound in his heart, and my mother died instantly in the bathroom on a cold floor.”
She also told Local News 10 that she had forgiveness for Jones: “I forgive him because it's important for me to forgive him. I won't forget it.”
Having been strapped to the bed, the man was asked if he wished to share any final words, to which he replied: “No sir.”
Earlier in September, Jones had filed an appeal with the Florida Supreme Court based on intellectual disability and alleged abuse he suffered while a teenager at a state-run reform school.
However, justices denied the claims and found that the disability issue had previously been litigated and that the abuse allegations were not presented during the man's trial.
There was also an appeal filed with the US Supreme Court on Saturday, but it didn’t issue an immediate decision.
Florida has two more executions set for October; Samuel Lee Smithers on 14 October and Norman Mearle Grim Jr. on 28.
Jess Battison