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The Florida Governor at the the time -- Reuben Askew -- was a Democrat liberal with presidential ambitions. He was covertly opposed to the death penalty. Nevertheless, with the public strongly in favor, Askew felt compelled to sign at least one death warrant lest he be credibly accused of shirking his duty.

Liberal sentiment and presidential ambitions ruled out the many black convicts on death row, so, for the first execution in decades, Askew picked Spenkelink a small, nerdy white guy on death row with a troubled childhood and long criminal record. Askew is thought to have slyly chosen Spenkelink as the least likely to be executed. Askew apparently expected state or federal court intervention to prevent the execution of a white man.

Spenkelink had claimed self-defense based on supposedly being propositioned by a gay male. The facts though were that Spenkelink picked up his victim as a hitchhiker and recruited him to a spree of armed robberies. Along with a confederate, Spenkelink killed the victim with a gun and hatchet in a Tallahassee hotel room as part of an argument over the division of robbery proceeds.

The gay angle, even if true, never made sense as a defense because Spenkelink freely left the hotel room of his victim and returned armed and ready to kill. Even if Spenkelink's victim had propositioned him, the law simply does not permit one to leave and exact lethal revenge.

Rejecting a plea offer, Spenkelink went to trial and was convicted of first degree murder and sentenced to death. On the law and the facts, the conviction and death sentence were fully merited. Spenkelink was also an especially nasty sort and was said to be disliked on death row.

Spenkelink's lawyers and spiritual advisers led him to believe that the execution would be stayed. As it was, he had to be forcibly hauled out of his cell and strapped into the electric chair against his will. In the end, those who claimed to serve Spenkelink had deprived him of preparation for death and of dignity in his last moments.

Although a Southerner was seen as the Democrat's best hope in 1976, the stiff-mannered Askew's presidential campaign never caught on. Jimmy Carter came out of nowhere to take the prize. After leaving the Governor's mansion, Askew moved to Orlando for a state university gig with minimal demands. My mother used to see Askew shopping in the neighborhood Publix, a distinguished, well-dressed gentleman who looked out of place comparing prices and eyeing over the produce on weekday mornings.