STOP the Execution of David J. Pittman

Florida intends to execute David J. Pittman on September 17, 2025 for the 1990 murders of Clarence, Barbara, and Bonnie Knowles.

We oppose this execution as we do every execution. Capital punishment is an act of state sanctioned violence that violates the sacred dignity of every human life. In the words of Saint Pope John Paul II, “The dignity of human life must never be taken away, even in the case of someone who has done great evil.” 

There is overwhelming evidence that David is intellectually disabled, particularly exacerbated by a childhood rife with physical and sexual abuse, trauma, and neglect. Executing David would not only violate the U.S. Constitution — which prohibits the execution of individuals with intellectual disability — but would place Florida among the few jurisdictions willing to ignore categorical protections recognized by the U.S. Supreme Court.

David’s execution would be the 12th in an unprecedented spree of executions in Florida this year which has now far exceeded the number of executions in the state in any year previously since the reinstatement of the death penalty.

Contact Gov. DeSantis and the Florida Board of Executive Clemency to support clemency for David J. Pittman.