Florida Death Row Inmate Executed for Gruesome 1984 Murders of Babysitter and Single Mother

In a long-awaited culmination of justice, Duane Owen, a Florida death row inmate, was executed by lethal injection on Thursday evening for the heinous crimes committed nearly four decades ago.

Florida death row inmate, Duane Owen was convicted for the 1984 rape and fatal stabbing of teenager Karen Slattery and for the rape and killing of 38-year-old Georgianna Worden in Palm Beach County. (Photo: CNN)

Florida Death Row Inmate Executed

The Florida death row inmate, Duane Owen was found guilty of the rape and fatal stabbing of 14-year-old babysitter Karen Slattery, as well as the rape and murder of 38-year-old Georgianna Worden, a single mother of two, CNN reported.

During the execution, the Florida death row inmate chose not to make a final statement, as reported by CNN affiliate WPBF.

Family members of the victims were present to witness the execution.

Following the event, Slattery’s younger sister, Debbi Johnson, addressed the media, expressing a sense of closure for her family. Johnson stated that they could now close the chapter on Karen’s tragic story, place it on a shelf, and move forward.

Johnson, now serving as a deputy sheriff in Monroe County, Florida, was only 10 years old when her older sister was brutally taken from them.

Reflecting on the execution, Johnson shared a poignant moment of hope. “With this rain today, I was really hoping I was going to see a rainbow. Because that’s what my mom always said: ‘Whenever you see a rainbow, that’s Karen smiling down on us,'” she revealed.

Slattery was subjected to multiple stab wounds and sexual assault in a Delray Beach home while she was babysitting, with the children she cared for asleep nearby.

Two months later, Florida death row inmate Owen targeted Worden in Boca Raton, bludgeoning her to death with a hammer while her two young children slept close by, according to WPBF.

Florida death row inmate Owen had spent decades on death row, exhausting numerous appeals and asserting insanity defenses. However, earlier this year, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis signed his death warrant, leading to the final execution.

Florida Death Row Inmate’s Last Meal

For his last meal, the Florida death row inmate Owen requested a bacon cheeseburger without a bun, accompanied by onion rings, strawberries, cherry ice cream, a vanilla milkshake, and a cup of coffee, according to the state’s Department of Corrections.

Johnson expressed her gratitude for the authorities’ reaction to her sister’s case and the reliable work of the officers involved, which encouraged her to seek a career in law enforcement.

Owen’s execution marks the fourth in Florida this year.

The state is one of 27 in the United States where the death penalty is still enforced, although three of those states have governor-imposed moratoriums, according to the Death Penalty Information Center.