A Florida death row inmate, whose appeal based on his “morbidly obese” weight was recently rejected by the Florida Supreme Court, was executed by lethal injection Tuesday night.
Michael Tanzi, 48, was pronounced dead at 6:12 p.m. at Florida State Prison for the April 2000 kidnapping and strangling death of Janet Acosta, a production worker at The Miami Herald.
Tanzi, in his final statement, apologized to Acosta’s family and recited a Bible verse, according to a report from The Associated Press. He was dead three minutes later.
Tanzi allegedly beat, robbed and strangled Acosta before leaving her body in the Florida Keys.
CONVICTED DOUBLE MURDERER EXECUTED BY FIRING SQUAD IN SOUTH CAROLINA
Michael Tanzi is set to be executed in Florida on Tuesday. (Florida Department of Corrections)
Tanzi was sentenced to death after being convicted of murder in the first degree, carjacking, kidnapping and armed robbery.
Appeals filed by his attorneys were denied, with the most recent being an appeal citing Tanzi’s “morbidly obese” weight and sciatica, which they alleged could cause “unconstitutional levels of pain,” according to the AP.
The court ruled the appeal was not timely because Tanzi’s health concerns were known since 2009, noting similar appeals based on weight have been rejected.
Corrections Department spokesman Ted Veerman told the AP Tanzi woke up at 4:45 a.m. and met with a spiritual adviser. He was later served his last meal.
Janet Acosta body was found abandoned in the Florida Keys. (iStock)
Acosta was approached by Tanzi while on break in her van on April 25, 2000.
After punching her in the face, he drove her to Homestead while holding her wrist and threatening her with a razor blade, the AP reported. He stopped at a gas station where he took her money, robbed and gagged her.
Tanzi continued on to the Florida Keys, where he used her debit card to purchase duct tape and razor blades, according to court documents.
TEXAS DEATH ROW INMATE MOUTHS FINAL 2-WORD MESSAGE TO VICTIMS’ FAMILIES BEFORE EXECUTION
A summary by the state Commission on Capital Cases noted Tanzi drove to an isolated area in Cudjoe Key, told Acosta he was going to kill her, and strangled her.
“He stopped to place duct tape over her mouth, nose and eyes in an attempt to quiet her and then strangled her until she expired,” according to the summary.
Acosta’s van was found by authorities in Key West. (iStock)
Acosta was reported missing by friends and colleagues, leading to the discovery of her van in Key West, according to the report. Tanzi later confessed and led police to Acosta’s body.
“If I had let her go, I was gonna get caught quicker,” Tanzi told officers, according to court documents. “I didn’t want to get caught. I was having too much fun… I told her, I says, ‘I can’t let you go. If I let you go, then I’m gonna be in a lot of trouble.’”
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Less than a month ago, a South Carolina man convicted of killing his ex-girlfriend’s parents with a baseball bat in 2001 was executed by firing squad, a method used for the first time in 15 years in the U.S.
Brad Sigmon, 67, chose to die by firing squad, citing fears about lethal injection, Fox News Digital previously reported.
Hours before Sigmon’s death, the U.S. Supreme Court denied an emergency motion to suspend the execution because of South Carolina’s secretive lethal injection policies.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
