Supreme Court Petitioned to Delay Execution of Florida Inmate
WASHINGTON (AP) — Legal representatives have approached the U.S. Supreme Court seeking a delay in the execution of a Florida inmate, Daniel Conahan Jr., who is scheduled to face lethal injection this Thursday. Conahan, now 72, was sentenced to death for the 1996 abduction and strangulation of Richard Montgomery, whose body was discovered mutilated in a wooded section of Charlotte County, Florida.
The victim, Montgomery, was found in an area reportedly littered with debris, which authorities have identified as a possible dumping ground. Investigators allege that Conahan murdered Montgomery after offering him payment to pose for nude photographs. Conahan is also suspected of being involved in other similar murders during the 1990s in southwest Florida.
Despite the conviction, Conahan has consistently denied any involvement in Montgomery’s death. His legal team has noted that he has been seeking DNA testing since March 2025 on the evidence collected from the crime scene and Montgomery’s remains to “conclusively establish that he is not responsible for the death.”
The petition for a stay highlights that Florida Governor Ron DeSantis signed Conahan’s death warrant on August 11, even as the motion for DNA testing was still pending. Notably, the state postconviction court rejected the motion within a day of the warrant’s signing.
“Mr. Conahan does not ask to be declared innocent at this posture. Nor does he ask to be released from prison. All he asks is for this Court to stay his imminent execution so that this Court can review his meritorious claims,” the filing states.
This year, Florida has carried out 14 executions.
