Highlands County: Joseph Ables sentenced to death

Following the jury's unanimous recommendation in late 2024, on April 4, the trial court sentenced Ables to death.

In October 2024, as TFDP previously covered, a jury convicted Ables of first-degree murder for murdering a law-enforcement officer in 2018. Following a penalty phase, the jury unanimously recommended that Ables be sentenced to death.

Photo of the Highlands County courthouse circa 1940, downloaded from Florida Memory (http://www.floridamemory.com/items/show/27062)

Under Florida’s current capital sentencing scheme, the trial court could either sentence Ables to death or to life in prison without parole (LWOP).

On Friday, April 4, the trial court sentenced Ables to death. (The Sentencing Order is not available on the docket.)

TFDP Prior Coverage of Ables’ Case

• Jury recommends death