Despite pleas from groups and individuals all over the world to commute his sentence to life imprisonment, Florida Governor Charlie Crist did not decide to spare the life of Martin Grossman, 45 years old. Grossman was convicted of the 1984 murder of a Forest Wildlife Officer, Ms. Margaret Parks, with her own gun when he was 19 years old.

Jewish groups acknowledged the terrible nature of the crime and expressed sympathy for the victim’s family. However, they tried to use the fact that the murder was not premeditated, that the murderer was in an impaired mental
state and that Grossman was a model prisoner for 25 years. He had expressed remorse for his crime. Even the Pope wrote asking for a stay, after Jewish organizations turned to him for support.

A Chabad representative and family members were present as Grossman was taken to receive the lethal injection that ended his life. He expressed remorse once again, said the “Shma” (Hear O Israel) prayer and his last words, as reported by Radio Kol Chai, were “Ahavas Yisrael”—love for the Jewish people.

The Orthodox Jewish organization Agudath Israel expressed “deep anguish” over his execution. “He was a fellow Jew and so we saw him as a brother”, said Rabbi David Zwiebel, the organization’s executive vice president, adding the traditional Jewish expression upon hearing of a death “…‘Boruch Dayan Emes—Blessed be the true Judge’”.

IsraelNationalNews had posted the petition asking for a stay of execution.