Raiford, Florida - A Florida man who has spent nearly half a century on death row was executed by lethal injection on Thursday.

James "Erny" Hitchcock (70) was convicted of the 1976 murder of Cynthia Driggers, his 13-year-old step-niece, and sentenced to death in 1977.

Hitchcock, who maintains his innocence, was executed at 6:12 PM at the Florida state prison in Raiford, the state's Department of Corrections said on its website.

His nearly 50 years on death row made him among the people who had spent the most time in prison awaiting execution in the US.

"Tonight, We the People of the State of Florida executed James 'Erny' Hitchcock for a crime he did not commit – the 1976 murder of Cynthia Driggers. We removed a 70 year old man from his wheelchair, strapped him to a gurney, and killed him," Floridians for Alternatives to the Death Penalty said in a statement.

The group noted that Hitchcock had maintained his brother Richard had killed Driggers – and that he was not alone in doing so.

"In 1996, multiple witnesses came forward, confirming that Richard got away with murder. And yet, not a single one of Erny’s jurors ever heard this compelling evidence that Richard was responsible," FADP said.

A second execution took place on Thursday, in Texas.

James Broadnax (37) was put to death at 6:47 PM by lethal injection for the 2008 robbery and murder of two music producers, the Texas Department of Criminal Justice said.

In his last statement, shared by the department, Broadnax said: "No matter what you think about me, Texas got it wrong. I'm innocent."

Broadnax's lawyers said he initially confessed to the crime in order to protect his cousin, Demarius Cummings, who on March 11 signed a declaration admitting he had killed the two producers and not Broadnax.

Cummings' DNA was found on the gun used in the crime and on one of the victim's clothing. Broadnax's DNA was not on either.

"James was a caring, thoughtful, spiritual, and deeply intelligent person who positively impacted all who came to know him. He will be missed by all of us and by his family and many friends," read a statement from Broadnax's wife and legal team.

"James spoke often of his feelings for the families of Mr. Swan and Mr. Butler, and about his remorse for his role in these crimes, and our thoughts at this time are with their families as well, as James' were."

Ten executions have been carried out in the US this year – six in Florida, three in Texas, and one in Oklahoma.

There were 47 executions in the country last year, the most since 2009, when 52 people were put to death.

Florida carried out the most executions in 2025, with 19, followed by Alabama, South Carolina, and Texas, where there were five each.

Thirty-nine of last year's executions were carried out by lethal injection.

Three were by firing squad and five by nitrogen hypoxia, which involves pumping nitrogen gas into a face mask, causing the prisoner to suffocate.

The use of nitrogen gas as a method of capital punishment has been denounced by United Nations experts as cruel and inhumane.

The death penalty has been abolished in 23 of the 50 US states, while three others – California, Oregon, and Pennsylvania – have moratoriums in place.

President Donald Trump is a proponent of capital punishment and has called for an expansion of its use "for the vilest crimes."

The Trump Justice Department said in April that it is seeking to expand the use of the death penalty in federal capital cases and add the firing squad, electrocution, and gas as methods of execution.