A 74-year-old man was executed in Florida on Tuesday, marking him as the oldest inmate executed in the state's modern history. Dennis Sochor was pronounced dead at 6:16 p.m. after receiving a three-drug injection at Florida State Prison near Starke.
Sochor was found guilty of first-degree murder and kidnapping in the 1982 disappearance and death of 18-year-old Patricia Gifford. Gifford had refused Sochor's advances on New Year's Day, 1982, leading to her murder.
The U.S. Supreme Court denied Sochor's request for a stay of execution and rejected his petition for review, allowing the execution to proceed as scheduled. Sochor apologized to the Gifford family before his execution, expressing deep regret for his crime.
In the moments leading up to his execution, Sochor thanked his loved ones for their support and commended his spirit to Jesus Christ. He declined a last meal and met with one visitor and a spiritual advisor.
Sochor's crime occurred when he met Gifford at a bar in the Fort Lauderdale area on New Year's Day, 1982. He drove her to a secluded area, where he asked for sex and attacked her after she refused.
Sochor was arrested in 1986 on unrelated charges and later confessed to Gifford's murder. He was convicted and sentenced to death in 1987.
This execution marks the 10th in Florida so far this year. The state carried out a record 19 executions in 2025, the most in a single year since the death penalty was reinstated in 1976.
Florida also led the country in executions last year, with other states, including Alabama, Texas, and South Carolina, carrying out fewer executions. A total of 47 people were executed across the United States in 2025.
Notably, while Sochor was the oldest inmate executed in Florida's modern history, another 80-year-old prisoner is scheduled to be executed later this month. A 74-year-old inmate was also executed just last month.
