Death Row Killer’s Last Meal Stuns Prison Guards

Weathered Death Row sign on aged concrete wall

Florida delivered justice nearly 40 years in the making when it executed a convicted killer who brutally disemboweled a 70-year-old grandmother during a robbery, reminding Americans that some crimes demand the ultimate penalty despite decades of activist appeals.

Story Snapshot

Melvin Trotter executed February 24, 2026, for stabbing Virgie Langford seven times in 1986 robbery-murder
Florida leads nation with 19 executions in 2025, signaling tough-on-crime approach under conservative leadership
Courts rejected 40 years of appeals citing borderline IQ and remorse, upholding death penalty for aggravated murder
Activists protested execution despite victim’s horrific death and Trotter’s prior felony record

Brutal Crime Shocks Small Florida Community

On June 16, 1986, Melvin Trotter walked into Virgie Langford’s small grocery store in Palmetto, Florida, and committed an act of unspeakable violence. The 35-year-old Trotter stabbed the 70-year-old store owner seven times in the stomach during a robbery, causing her to be disemboweled. A truck driver discovered Langford bleeding and she managed to identify Trotter as her attacker before dying hours later at a hospital. The heinous nature of this crime—attacking an elderly woman in her own store—shocked Manatee County residents and demanded justice.

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Justice System Delivers Accountability After Four Decades

Florida courts convicted Trotter of first-degree murder and robbery with a deadly weapon in May 1987. A jury initially recommended death by a 9-3 vote, but after the Florida Supreme Court vacated that sentence, a resentencing hearing produced an 11-1 recommendation for execution. Courts identified four aggravating factors: Trotter committed the murder while on community control for a prior felony, during a robbery, and in an especially cruel manner. This case exemplifies why capital punishment exists—for crimes so heinous that life imprisonment fails to deliver proportional justice for victims and their families.

Appeals Process Exhausts Every Legal Avenue

For nearly 40 years, Trotter’s legal team filed numerous appeals attempting to spare him from execution. Defense attorneys argued he had borderline intellectual disability based on IQ tests, came from a disadvantaged background, and showed remorse. They challenged lethal injection as cruel and unusual punishment under the Eighth Amendment. Florida courts systematically rejected these claims, finding that Trotter’s IQ scores placed him above the threshold for intellectual disability exemptions under state law. The Florida Supreme Court denied his final appeals on February 17, 2026, just one week before his execution, confirming that aggravating factors far outweighed any mitigating circumstances.

Florida Leads Nation in Upholding Law and Order

Florida executed Trotter by lethal injection at 6:15 p.m. on February 24, 2026, at Florida State Prison in Starke. He offered no last words. This marked Florida’s second execution of 2026 and continued the state’s leadership in enforcing capital punishment—Florida carried out 19 executions in 2025, contributing to the nation’s total of 47, the highest since 2009. While 23 states have abolished the death penalty and three others maintain moratoriums, Florida’s approach reflects a commitment to justice that resonates with conservatives who believe heinous crimes deserve ultimate consequences. This stands in stark contrast to soft-on-crime policies that plagued America during the Biden years.

Activists Protest Despite Overwhelming Evidence

Approximately 45 protesters gathered outside the prison on execution day, led by groups like Floridians for Alternatives to the Death Penalty. Grace Hanna, the organization’s executive director, claimed the case was unique due to Trotter’s intellectual disability and race. Ralph Wright Jr., an exoneree whose death sentence was vacated in 2014, argued the death penalty offers no societal benefit. These activists ignore a fundamental truth: Virgie Langford’s family waited 40 years for justice while Trotter received countless appeals and legal protections. The criminal justice system worked exactly as intended, giving Trotter every opportunity to challenge his sentence while ultimately delivering accountability for a brutal murder.