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FLORIDA - Florida has executed a death row inmate convicted in the 1987 home invasion murders of a U.S. Air Force airman and the airman’s girlfriend, bringing a nearly four decade legal process to an end.
The execution took place Thursday evening at Florida State Prison after final appeals were denied earlier in the day.
The inmate was sentenced to death for the killings of Edward Alger, an airman stationed at Eglin Air Force Base, and his girlfriend Ann Peterson.
According to court records and the original arrest report, the suspect allegedly broke into the couple’s residence in Fort Walton Beach during a robbery attempt.
Investigators said the couple was restrained during the invasion, and Alger was allegedly attacked when he attempted to resist. Both victims died from gunshot wounds.
The suspect was arrested the day after the bodies were discovered.
Law enforcement officials stated that a roommate contacted authorities after noticing suspicious behavior.
During a search, investigators recovered items connected to the crime, and the suspect allegedly made statements admitting involvement.
He was convicted of first degree murder, kidnapping, burglary, and theft.
The initial death sentence handed down in the late 1980s was later overturned, resulting in a retrial.
A second jury again sentenced the defendant to death in the early 1990s, a sentence that remained in place following years of state and federal appeals.
The execution marks another case carried out under Florida’s current administration, which has moved forward with multiple death sentences this year.
Officials stated the sentence was enforced following full judicial review, while the case continues to be cited in discussions surrounding capital punishment and long term appeals in violent crime convictions.