A man convicted of abducting and killing a woman from a Florida insurance office more than four decades ago is scheduled to be executed under a death warrant signed by Governor Ron DeSantis, according to a report from ABC News.
Kayle Bates, 67, is set to be executed on August 19 at Florida State Prison in Raiford, the report said. This will mark the 10th execution in the state so far this year. DeSantis signed the warrant on July 19, just days after the state executed Michael Bell, who was convicted in a 1993 double homicide outside a bar in what prosecutors said was an attempted act of revenge.
Bates was convicted of first-degree murder, kidnapping, armed robbery, and attempted sexual battery for the 1982 killing of Janet White in Bay County. White, 33, worked at a State Farm insurance office in Panama City.
According to court records and a letter from Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier summarizing the case, Bates entered the office on June 14, 1982, armed with a knife and abducted White during working hours.
He drove her to a wooded area behind the office building, where he attempted to sexually assault her before stabbing her multiple times. Bates then removed a diamond ring from one of her fingers. White’s body was discovered later that day by a passerby. Investigators linked Bates to the crime through physical evidence, including bloodstained clothing and the stolen ring. He was arrested the following morning and confessed to the killing during police questioning. That statement later became the subject of legal challenges, though courts upheld its admissibility.
Bates has remained on death row for more than 40 years. His attorney, James Driscoll Jr., said Saturday that he plans to file further appeals ahead of the scheduled execution.
“We believe his execution would violate the US Constitution,” Driscoll said. He did not specify the legal basis for the upcoming challenge.
According to the Death Penalty Information Center, Bell’s execution was the 26th in the US this year, already surpassing the total of 25 in 2024. It is the highest number of executions in a single year since 2015, when 28 were recorded.
Florida remains one of the most active states in carrying out the death penalty.
