Florida Schedules Execution for Man Convicted of 1979 Murder

A man convicted of raping and murdering a six-year-old girl in central Florida is set to be executed on November 13, 2025. The execution date for Bryan Fredrick Jennings was established through a death warrant signed by Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, who has been noted for overseeing a significant increase in executions in the state.

Jennings, now 66 years old, is scheduled to receive lethal injection at Florida State Prison. If carried out, his execution will mark the 16th in Florida for 2025, a year that has already seen more death sentences than any other since the state reinstated the death penalty in 1976. DeSantis signed the death warrant just days before the execution of another convicted murderer, Samuel Lee Smithers, which is set for October 24. Another inmate, Norman Mearle Grim Jr., is also scheduled for execution on October 28.

Jennings was convicted in 1986 for the murder, kidnapping, and sexual battery of Rebecca Kunash, who was abducted from her home in Brevard County in May 1979. According to court records, Jennings entered the home through a window, took the young girl, and drove her to a canal near Merritt Island. There, he assaulted her, ultimately killing her by smashing her head against the ground and drowning her in the canal. Her body was later discovered by police.

After a series of legal proceedings, Jennings was sentenced to death following two previous convictions that were overturned. His legal team is expected to file appeals with the Florida Supreme Court and the U.S. Supreme Court in an effort to halt the upcoming execution.

In 2025, a total of 35 executions have occurred across the United States, with Florida leading the nation in the number of death warrants signed this year. The most recent execution in Florida took place on September 30, when Victory Tony Jones was put to death for the double homicide of a married couple during a robbery in 1990. The previous record for executions in Florida in a single year was eight, last achieved in 2014.

As the legal process unfolds, the focus remains on the implications of Jennings’ execution for the state’s ongoing use of capital punishment and the broader national debate surrounding the death penalty.