By Michael D. Carroll,Paige Ingram,Rory Cassidy
Copyright dailyrecord
A thief who murdered a married couple during a robbery had defiant final words as he was executed executed over the crime yesterday. Victor Tony Jones lost his life at Florida State Prison near Starke, in what was the state’s 13th execution this year. The procedure began promptly at 6pm. When asked to make a final statement, the 64-year-old declined and said defiantly: “No, sir.” He had been convicted of murdering a married couple during a robbery in 1990. Several minutes into the procedure, the warden attempted to rouse Jones by shaking him and calling his name, but there was no response, The Mirror reports. As Jones lay motionless, his face losing colour, a medic entered the death chamber and declared him dead at 6:13 p.m. Officials reported that the execution proceeded without complications, reports the Daily Star . Irene Fisher, the daughter of the victims , reflected on the execution, saying, “After seeing what I saw tonight, I wish my parents had that opportunity to die so gracefully, close your eyes and just go. “They were violently killed. My father fought for 20 minutes with a stab wound in his heart, and my mother died instantly in the bathroom on a cold floor.” Jones had been a recent hire at a Miami business owned by Matilda and Jacob Nestor in December 1990 when he fatally stabbed Matilda in the neck and Jacob in the chest. Despite his injuries , Jacob managed to retreat to an office, draw a. 22 caliber pistol, and fire five shots, hitting Jones once in the forehead, according to court records. Officers discovered Jones injured at the scene carrying the Nestors’ cash and personal belongings in his pockets. Jones was taken to hospital and subsequently convicted of two counts of first-degree murder in 1993, receiving the death penalty. The jury also found him guilty of armed robbery. Fisher witnessed her parents’ killer’s execution alongside her two adult daughters and three other relatives. She admitted to having conflicted feelings, having never seen anyone die before. However, she expressed relief that it was finally concluded and that justice had been delivered. The Nestors ran a medical supply business in Miami’s Wynwood area, long before it transformed into the internationally recognised arts and entertainment quarter it is today. The premises where their shop once operated now serves as a community centre. “My parents would have loved that because they were always helping people in the community,” Fisher said. Since the U.S. Supreme Court reinstated capital punishment in 1976, Florida’s previous record for annual executions was eight in 2014. Florida has put more people to death than any other state this year, with Texas following behind with five. Jones lodged an appeal with the Florida Supreme Court earlier this month, citing intellectual disability and alleged mistreatment he endured as a teenager at a now-closed state-run reform institution. The court rejected the claims, ruling the disability matter had already been addressed and the abuse allegations were never raised during the original trial. Just hours before the execution, the U.S. Supreme Court dismissed a final appeal without any comment.
