STARKE, Fla. — A man convicted of stabbing a woman to death during a home invasion robbery more than 30 years ago is scheduled to be executed Tuesday evening in Florida.
Mark Allen Geralds, 58, is set to receive a lethal injection starting at 6 p.m. at Florida State Prison near Starke. Geralds was convicted of murder, armed robbery, burglary and stealing a car. He was sentenced to death in 1990 and has faced a tumultuous legal history since.
The Florida Supreme Court vacated his initial sentence but upheld the conviction, resulting in a resentencing to death in 1992. With this execution, Florida will hit its 18th death sentence carried out in 2025, extending its state record for total executions in a single year.
In a tragic incident in February 1989, Tressa Pettibone’s 8-year-old son discovered his mother brutally stabbed to death in their Panama City home. The crime scene revealed Geralds had previously remodeled the home, giving him insider knowledge of the family's routines. Court records detail how Geralds had previously interacted with Pettibone and her children at a shopping mall shortly before the incident.
Further investigations linked Geralds to the crime scene through pawned jewelry that contained Pettibone’s blood and plastic ties similar to those found in his vehicle, establishing a connection that led to his conviction.
Following the signing of a death warrant last month, Geralds expressed a desire not to pursue any further appeals, leading to the current execution date being confirmed by the courts.
This execution is part of a broader increase in lethal injections in Florida. A total of 44 men have been executed in the U.S. this year, with Florida leading the way. Another execution is planned for next week, continuing a series of death warrants signed by Republican Governor Ron DeSantis.
The state utilizes a three-drug combination for its lethal injections, including a sedative, a paralytic, and a drug that induces cardiac arrest, as stipulated by the Florida Department of Corrections.
