Last night, Gov. DeSantis signed the fifth death warrant this year scheduling the execution of Glen Rogers for May 15. Here's the background of Rogers' case.
It’s striking how much of Rogers’ postconviction litigation revolves around ineffective assistance and newly discovered evidence, yet none of it gained enough traction to reopen the case meaningfully. The denial of relief even on childhood abuse claims—framed as not “newly discovered”—feels especially rigid given how late some trauma disclosures can come. Also interesting: how frequently the courts acknowledge mitigating factors like abuse, substance exposure, or mental health issues, but assign them "slight" or "little" weight, as if they barely matter once aggravators are on the table.
The pace Florida is moving at this year with these warrants is also hard to ignore. Five in just a few months seems unprecedented in the current era to this non-lawyer. Curious to see if this trend continues, but I'm concerned that it might.
Again, thank you for continuing to provide such clear, thorough reporting on these cases, especially at a time when it feels like Florida is accelerating the pace of executions. The level of detail you bring—tracking the legal history, appellate issues, and even the personal background—is so important for understanding the full picture. No matter where people stand on the death penalty, your writing helps remind us that these cases are never simple, and there’s so much happening beneath the headlines. Thinking of everyone impacted as this date approaches.
Gov. DeSantis has not issued warrants at this pace throughout his tenure.
2. You are also correct that almost every case involved mitigation like the factors you noted and they're almost always given no, slight, or little weight.
3. It is a very high burden to meet on newly discovered evidence, even on trauma that may have been suppressed like Rogers' history of abuse.
The reason they are assigned slight or little weight probably has to do with the fact that lots of people have been through similar bad things but don't murder people lol
Glen Rogers was sentenced to death in Los Angeles County in 1999 (after his Florida trial) for a murder committed five weeks before the Tampa murder. The Florida murder was the sole death-eligibility factor in California, and was presented to the jury at the guilt phase of trial. The California Supreme Court affirmed the judgment in 2013. Rogers is one of about 140 defendants whose California death sentences have been affirmed on appeal but have never had state habeas counsel.
It’s striking how much of Rogers’ postconviction litigation revolves around ineffective assistance and newly discovered evidence, yet none of it gained enough traction to reopen the case meaningfully. The denial of relief even on childhood abuse claims—framed as not “newly discovered”—feels especially rigid given how late some trauma disclosures can come. Also interesting: how frequently the courts acknowledge mitigating factors like abuse, substance exposure, or mental health issues, but assign them "slight" or "little" weight, as if they barely matter once aggravators are on the table.
The pace Florida is moving at this year with these warrants is also hard to ignore. Five in just a few months seems unprecedented in the current era to this non-lawyer. Curious to see if this trend continues, but I'm concerned that it might.
Again, thank you for continuing to provide such clear, thorough reporting on these cases, especially at a time when it feels like Florida is accelerating the pace of executions. The level of detail you bring—tracking the legal history, appellate issues, and even the personal background—is so important for understanding the full picture. No matter where people stand on the death penalty, your writing helps remind us that these cases are never simple, and there’s so much happening beneath the headlines. Thinking of everyone impacted as this date approaches.
You are absolutely right on several points!
1. This is a fairly unprecedented pace for executions. Florida has seen close to this pace before, but it's been a long time. You can see the full list of executions here: https://www.fdc.myflorida.com/institutions/death-row/execution-list-1976-present
Gov. DeSantis has not issued warrants at this pace throughout his tenure.
2. You are also correct that almost every case involved mitigation like the factors you noted and they're almost always given no, slight, or little weight.
3. It is a very high burden to meet on newly discovered evidence, even on trauma that may have been suppressed like Rogers' history of abuse.
Thanks for reading, friend!
The reason they are assigned slight or little weight probably has to do with the fact that lots of people have been through similar bad things but don't murder people lol
Glen Rogers was sentenced to death in Los Angeles County in 1999 (after his Florida trial) for a murder committed five weeks before the Tampa murder. The Florida murder was the sole death-eligibility factor in California, and was presented to the jury at the guilt phase of trial. The California Supreme Court affirmed the judgment in 2013. Rogers is one of about 140 defendants whose California death sentences have been affirmed on appeal but have never had state habeas counsel.
Glen Rogers is a serial killer. Execute...with extreme prejudice.