Man convicted in 1986 murder set to become Florida's second execution of 2026

STARKE, Fla. (DPN) — A man convicted of stabbing and strangling a grocery store owner during a robbery nearly 40 years ago is scheduled to die by lethal injection Tuesday evening, becoming the second person executed in Florida this year.

Melvin Trotter, 65, is set to receive a three-drug lethal injection beginning at 6 p.m. at Florida State Prison near Starke. Trotter was convicted of first-degree murder in the 1986 killing of Virgie Langford, 70, who owned Langford’s Grocery Store in Palmetto, in southwest Florida's Manatee County.

According to court records, Trotter strangled and stabbed Langford at her store. He was initially sentenced to death in 1987, but the Florida Supreme Court ordered a new sentencing in 1993 after finding errors in how aggravating factors were handled. Trotter again received the death penalty that year.

The execution follows Florida's first of 2026 on Feb. 10, when Ronald Palmer Heath, 64, was put to death for the 1989 murder of Michael Sheridan, a traveling salesperson. Heath was convicted of first-degree murder and other charges in that case.

Florida carried out a record 19 executions in 2025 under Gov. Ron DeSantis, who has signed multiple death warrants this year, continuing an aggressive pace on capital punishment.

Two more executions are already scheduled: Billy Leon Kearse on March 3 and Michael Lee King on March 17.

Trotter's case has drawn attention from opponents of the death penalty. Floridians for Alternatives to the Death Penalty has called for a stay, citing concerns about Florida's lethal injection procedures and urging an independent investigation into past issues.

The group planned vigils across the state, including one outside the prison beginning at 5 p.m. Tuesday. A Florida death row exoneree was expected to speak at the event.

Trotter has been on death row for nearly four decades. His lawyers have raised arguments before the U.S. Supreme Court regarding compliance with lethal injection protocols, though no stay had been granted as of Tuesday morning.

If carried out, Trotter's execution would mark the fourth scheduled in Florida for 2026, underscoring the state's leading role in U.S. capital punishment amid ongoing debates over its application and methods.

Source: DPN, Media outlets, Agencies, staff, AI, February 24, 2026

"One is absolutely sickened, not by the crimes that the wicked have committed,
but by the punishments that the good have inflicted."

— Oscar Wilde

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