Florida Executes Man Who Killed Wife, Young Boy

STARKE (CBSMiami) - A Florida man who stabbed his wife and her young son to death nearly 30 years ago was executed Wednesday.

The governor's office says John Ruthell Henry, 63, was pronounced dead at 7:43 p.m. Wednesday. He was put to death by lethal injection at Florida State Prison in Starke.

Henry was convicted in Pasco County of fatally stabbing his wife Suzanne Henry. Gov. Rick Scott signed Henry's death warrant for that murder.

FIVE THINGS TO KNOW ABOUT FLORIDA EXECUTIONS

He also was convicted in Hillsborough County of fatally stabbing Suzanne Henry's 5-year-old son near Plant City, hours after Suzanne's murder.

Henry also previously pleaded no contest to second-degree murder for fatally stabbing his common-law wife, Patricia Roddy, in 1976. He was released in 1983.

In the months before the execution, Henry's attorney questioned whether his client was mentally stable enough to comprehend his death sentence.

(TM and © Copyright 2014 CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2014 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)

RELATED CONTENT: