Nearly 50 years after 13-year-old’s death, Florida carries out death sentence Last updated: May 01, 2026 | 10:52 Lynn Cobb, center, speaks about her younger sister Cynthia Driggers while Driggers' niece Tanya Clement holds up photos of Cynthia Driggers after her killer, James Ernest Hitchcock, was executed on Thursday, April 30, 2026, in Starke, Fla. (AP Photo/Jeffrey Collins) STARKE, Florida: A Florida man convicted of beating and choking his brother's 13-year-old stepdaughter to death nearly 50 years ago was executed Thursday evening. James Ernest Hitchcock, 70, was pronounced dead at 6:12 p.m. following a lethal injection at Florida State Prison near Starke. He was convicted of the July 1976 killing of Cynthia Driggers. The curtain to the death chamber opened promptly at the 6 p.m. execution time. Hitchcock’s entire body was covered in a sheet up to his head. He stared at the ceiling as the team warden made a call, then gave his final statement. “Just to say goodbye to Joshua my friend.…