Florida to Execute Bryan Jennings for 1996 Kidnapping, Rape, and Murder of 6-Year-Old
BRUNSWICK, GA – florida Governor Ron DeSantis has signed a death warrant for Bryan Jennings, who was convicted in the 1996 kidnapping, rape, and murder of 6-year-old Becky Kunash on Merritt island. Jennings is scheduled to be executed on November 13, joining Tremane Wood, who is set to be executed the same day in Oklahoma for a 2002 stabbing.
jennings’ case, marked by extreme brutality, is contributing to a national surge in executions. If carried out, Jennings will be the 16th inmate executed in Florida this year, surpassing the state’s previous record of eight. Nationally, at least six more executions are scheduled before the end of the year, perhaps bringing the total to 46 - the highest number since 2010, though still below the peak of 98 in 1999.
The crime unfolded when Jennings abducted Kunash while she was walking home from school. Her body was later discovered in a wooded area.Prosecutors presented evidence detailing a ”savagely brutal” attack,securing Jennings’ conviction and subsequent death sentence.
Jennings’ criminal history extends beyond the Kunash murder. Approximately 16 years prior to the killing, he was convicted of a single-day crime spree in Pensacola. The spree included kidnapping a woman who later escaped, breaking into two homes and injuring a woman, and a failed attempt to kidnap a 14-year-old girl. At the time of Kunash’s murder, Jennings was on parole for a burglary conviction.
The increase in executions nationwide is attributed by experts to a shifting political landscape and a more conservative Supreme Court.
The execution of Jennings and Wood are scheduled for November 13.