James Barnes, Florida man who dropped appeals, executed for 1988 hammer killing of nurse

MELBOURNE, Fla.  — Florida death row inmate James Barnes, who confessed to killing his estranged wife, was executed Thursday for the brutal murder of another woman — the fifth execution in the state this year.

Barnes, 61, was pronounced dead at 6:13 p.m. following a lethal injection at Florida State Prison in Starke. He was sentenced to death after he confessed about his role in the murder and rape of a nurse in 1988.

In 2006, Barnes pleaded guilty to first-degree murder and was sentenced to death the following year. He was also convicted of two counts of sexual battery, armed burglary and arson in the case.

According to Barnes' sentencing order, he entered Patricia "Patsy" Miller's condo through a bedroom window and repeatedly raped her, strangled her with her bathrobe belt, killed her by striking her head with a hammer, and set her bed on fire with her body on it to eliminate evidence. 

Barnes confessed to Miller's murder while he was behind bars — he had been sentenced to life in prison for killing his wife, Linda, 44, in her home just outside West Melbourne, Florida. He strangled her, then placed her body in a bedroom closet, his sentencing order said.

'No one should live in fear'

Andrew Miller, the brother of Barnes' victim, Patricia Miller, spoke at a news conference after the execution. He said his family sees similarities between his sister and Barnes' other victim, his estranged wife, Linda.

"They were both hardworking professionals. They were someone's daughter. They were someone's sister," Miller said. "No one should live in fear in the safety of their own home. We did. Our family does."

Barnes did not request a last meal, have any visitors, or meet with spiritual advisors, Kayla McLaughlin, spokesperson for the Florida Department of Corrections, told journalists at a short news conference across the street from the prison.

Barnes did not request a last meal, have any visitors, or meet with spiritual advisors, Kayla McLaughlin, spokesperson for the Florida Department of Corrections, told journalists at a short news conference across the street from the prison.

Lying on a gurney, Barnes appeared to already have his eyes shut when the curtain was opened for witnesses. He didn’t respond when prison officials asked if he had a final statement, and he remained motionless except for breathing for about 10 minutes until that stopped. A doctor then pronounced him dead.

EXECUTIONS IN THE UNITED STATES:Some states resuming capital punishment after 'the year of the botched execution'

Authorities dismiss Barnes claims of involvement in 2 more deaths

Barnes was interviewed from prison for an episode of “On Death Row,” a 2012 United Kingdom television miniseries by German filmmaker Werner Herzog.

During that episode, Barnes said he fatally shot and buried Chester Wetmore, a teenager who was last seen leaving his Bradenton home in May 1986. Barnes also said he was involved in a crime regarding Brenda Joyce Fletcher, whose body was discovered in April 1991 in a water-filled drainage ditch near an Interstate 95 on-ramp.

Investigators did not file charges in either case, both of which remain unresolved. During the “On Death Row" episode, Herzog voiced doubts regarding Barnes' alleged confessions.

"I was suspicious of Barnes using me as an instrument either to procrastinate or speed up his execution by opening new cases against him," Herzog said during the episode.

Fletcher remains listed as an unsolved homicide on the Brevard County Sheriff's Office website, while Wetmore remains listed as a missing person on the Manatee County Sheriff's Office website.

"Lengthy follow into this information was completed, but there was no information discovered to even confirm Barnes knew Wetmore. Barnes also refused to speak with our detectives about the case," Manatee County Sheriff's Office spokesperson Randy Warren said in a Thursday email.

"After a thorough investigation, we have no reason to connect Barnes with the Missing person case of Chester Wetmore," he said. 

PART OF CONSERVATIVE PITCH?DeSantis steps up pace of executions in Florida, chasing Trump

State of executions in Florida

No executions had occurred in the state since August 2019, before the pace increased this year under Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis' watch, who signed Barnes' death warrant on June 22. Barnes was the 104th person executed in Florida since the death penalty was reinstated in 1976.

In recent months, DeSantis signed two pieces of legislation related to capital punishment. One allowed for the death penalty without a unanimous jury decision, and the other allowed the state to seek capital punishment for non-murder cases of sexual battery involving children under 12, which will go into effect Oct. 1. 

Political commentators and critics of the death penalty said these moves could be part of DeSantis’ attempt to compete with his rival Republican presidential candidate. During his last six months in office, former President Donald Trump used the death penalty to execute 13 federal inmates.

Across the nation, 54 executions are scheduled for 2023, according to the Death Penalty Information Center. Some states had suspended executions after a series of botched lethal injections, the most widely used death penalty method in the country.

Capital punishment has been declining nationwide since at least the beginning of the 21st century, an analysis from Eastern Kentucky University found.

“For the eighth consecutive year, fewer than 30 people were executed and fewer than 50 people were sentenced to death,” the Death Penalty Information Center said in its 2022 report. “… The five-year average of executions, 18.6 per year, is the lowest in more than 30 years, a 74% decline over the course of one decade.”

Contributing: Kayla Jimenez, Thao Nguyen; USA TODAY