Florida Governor Ron DeSantis signed a death warrant on November 12 for Willie Seth Crain Jr., an 80-year-old inmate convicted of kidnapping and murdering seven-year-old Amanda Brown in 1998. The execution is set for December 10 at Florida State Prison in Raiford.
The crime occurred in September 1998 when Crain, who knew the victim’s mother Kathryn Hartman, visited their home and drugged her dinner with sleeping pills. After she was incapacitated, he abducted Amanda and killed her. Her body has never been recovered.
Prosecutors built their case on forensic evidence including blood stains found on clothing belonging to both Amanda and her mother, as well as in the bathroom, and burn marks on Crain’s hands. A jury sentenced him to death in November 1999.
Decades of appeals and legal challenges delayed the sentence until now. The warrant marks the final step in a case that has spanned more than 28 years.
