Overview of the Florida Execution 2025
Michael Bernard Bell, 54, is scheduled to receive a lethal injection at Florida State Prison in Starke at 6 p.m. on Tuesday, July 15, 2025. If carried out, the Florida execution 2025 will be the state’s eighth this year and the 26th nationwide, surpassing the total number of U.S. executions in all of 2024.
Who Is Michael Bernard Bell?
Bell was sentenced to death in 1995 for murdering Jimmy West and Tamecka Smith outside a Jacksonville‑area liquor lounge in December 1993. Investigators say Bell, seeking revenge for his brother’s earlier killing, mistook West’s newly purchased car for that of the actual shooter. Armed with an AK‑47, Bell opened fire as West, Smith, and another woman left the bar.
Bell’s violent history extends further:
- 1989: Killed a woman and her toddler son.
- 1993 (four months before the lounge shooting): Shot his mother’s boyfriend.
The 1993 Revenge Killings
Witnesses testified that Bell waited outside the lounge, then riddled the vehicle with bullets, killing West instantly and mortally wounding Smith en route to the hospital. He also fired at bystanders before fleeing. Arrested in 1994, Bell was convicted the following year on multiple counts of first‑degree murder.
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Legal Appeals and Last‑Minute Motions
Bell’s attorneys have sought to halt the execution, arguing newly discovered evidence undermines a key witness. The Florida Supreme Court unanimously rejected that claim last week, citing “overwhelming” proof of guilt in a 54‑page opinion. A parallel petition to the U.S. Supreme Court remains pending, but similar appeals rarely succeed once a death warrant is signed.
Florida’s 2025 Execution Record
Governor Ron DeSantis has now signed eight death warrants in 2025, tying the state’s single‑year record set in 1984 and 2014. A ninth execution is already scheduled for later this month. Florida leads all states in executions this year; Texas and South Carolina follow with four each.
National Context: U.S. Executions in 2025
The 26 executions slated for completion today eclipse the 25 recorded in all of 2024 and mark the busiest death‑penalty year since 2018. According to the Death Penalty Information Center, Florida, Texas, South Carolina, Alabama, Oklahoma, Arizona, Indiana, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Tennessee have all carried out executions this year.
Community and Victim Families’ Response
Relatives of Jimmy West and Tamecka Smith say the execution offers a measure of closure after 32 years of legal proceedings. “Justice delayed is finally justice served,” West’s sister told reporters outside the courthouse Monday. Smith’s family plans a private memorial during the scheduled execution time.
Anti‑death‑penalty activists, including Floridians for Alternatives to the Death Penalty, will hold a silent vigil outside the prison gates. They argue that capital punishment “perpetuates cycles of violence” and risks wrongful convictions.
What Happens Next?
Unless the U.S. Supreme Court issues a last‑minute stay, prison officials will administer a three‑drug lethal‑injection protocol beginning at 6 p.m. Eastern. Witnesses include reporters, clergy, and relatives of both the condemned and the victims.
