After nearly three decades on death row, 77-year-old Curtis Wilkie Beasley was put to death in Florida for the 1995 killing of Carolyn Monfort. Before he was taken to the death chamber, he was given the chance to choose a final meal, a simple request that offered no hint of the violence tied to his caseBeasley selected grilled cheese sandwiches and ice cream, a modest choice allowed under Florida’s policy permitting condemned inmates a final meal costing no more than $40 using locally available food. He was executed by lethal injection on September 29 at Florida State Prison near Starke, becoming the 16th person put to death in Florida this year.
The Crime and Investigation
The case dates back to August 1995, when Monfort’s daughter went to her mother’s home in Dundee, Florida, after being unable to reach her for two days. She found Monfort dead inside the house.
Investigators recovered a bloodied hammer head near the scene. A witness later linked Beasley to Monfort’s vehicle, helping point authorities toward him as a suspect in the killing.
Beasley fled Florida before he was eventually located and arrested, bringing him into the custody that would lead to his prosecution for Monfort’s death.
Trial and Conviction
In 1998, Beasley was convicted of murder, robbery, and grand theft auto in connection with Monfort’s killing. The conviction placed him on death row, where he remained for nearly thirty years before his execution.
Final Hours and Execution
On the day of his execution, a spiritual adviser sat beside Beasley inside the execution chamber. Before the lethal injection was administered, he offered a brief apology, saying, “I want to apologize for all the mistakes I made.”
He was pronounced dead at 6:12 p.m. No public statements from either family were reported following the execution.