A brute who kidnapped, raped and murdered a six year old girl has been executed on death row. Bryan Frederick Jennings, a former US Marine, was found guilty over 45 years ago for the first-degree murder, abduction, burglary and sexual assault of Rebecca Kunash. He kidnapped the young girl, drove her to a canal in his car and raped her.
Jennings, who was just 20 at the time, later “swung her by her legs to the ground with such force that she fractured her skull,” according to court documents. The child was then drowned in the canal, where her body was discovered later that day.
However, last night, Jennings finally met his end on death row at the prison near Starke, Florida where he has been incarcerated for decades since the horrific attack.
Just one visitor for the lonesome monster
The remorseless killer rose at 4 a.m. on his day of reckoning, consumed a final meal of a cheeseburger, French fries, and a soda, revealed Jordan Kirkland, communications chief for Florida’s Department of Corrections. Jennings received just one visitor before facing the ultimate punishment for his unspeakable act.
Aged 66, the murderer to be administered a lethal three-drug injection, marking the record 16th execution in Florida this year.
Jennings chose not to make a final statement before his execution, but that did not prevent his death from being a struggle.
‘Writhed in agony’
The the deadly three-drug cocktail coursed through his veins at 6:02 p.m.
Jennings’ body writhed in agony at 6:04 p.m., his movements ceasing a mere three minutes later as the life drained from his face, reported ABC-owned broadcaster My Sun Coast.
By 6:10 p.m., his complexion had turned ashen, prompting a health-care worker to enter the chamber of death at 6:19 p.m. to confirm the monster’s demise.
Department of Corrections spokesman Jordan Kirkland stated: “The execution took place without incident. There were no complications.”
Death sentence confirmed
Jennings was apprehended hours after the girl’s rape on an unrelated traffic warrant, and he matched the description of a man seen near the Kunash home around the time the little girl disappeared. According to court documents, shoeprints at the scene were consistent with the ones Jennings was wearing, his fingerprints were found on the girl’s windowsill, and his clothes and hair were wet.
Kenneth Eugene Smith was twice convicted and sentenced to death for a murder in Brevard County in 1979, with both verdicts being overturned on appeal. A third trial in 1986 resulted in another conviction and a reaffirmed death sentence.
Smith also received life sentences for kidnapping, sexual assault, and burglary.
Governor Ron DeSantis, who signed the death warrant, has authorised more executions this year than any Florida governor since the death penalty was reinstated nationwide in 1976. The previous state record – eight executions – was set in 2014.
Two additional Florida executions are scheduled for 20 November and 9 December. If carried out, they will bring the state’s total to 18 so far this year.
Gov DeSantis has said the unusually high number of executions stems from his desire to deliver long-awaited justice to victims’ families. “Some of these crimes were committed in the ’80s,” he said at a recent news conference.
“Justice delayed is justice denied. I felt I owed it to them to make sure this ran very smoothly. If I honestly thought someone was innocent, I would not pull the trigger.”
