Florida death row inmate seeks Supreme Court pause for DNA testing
A Florida inmate scheduled for lethal injection on Thursday asked the Supreme Court to halt his execution while DNA evidence is examined.
Daniel Conahan Jr., a 72-year-old Florida death row inmate, is slated for lethal injection on Thursday for the 1996 kidnapping and strangulation of Richard Montgomery, whose body was discovered nude and mutilated in a wooded area of Charlotte County. Conahan’s attorneys have petitioned the Supreme Court to temporarily block the execution so DNA testing, requested since March 2025, can be conducted on material collected at the scene and from Montgomery’s remains.
Governor Ron DeSantis signed the death warrant on Aug. 11, and a state post-conviction court rejected the DNA-testing motion within 24 hours. The petition emphasizes that Conahan does not seek a declaration of innocence or release, merely a stay to allow the Court to assess his “meritorious” claims. Authorities allege Conahan paid Montgomery for nude photographs before the killing and suspect him in other similar 1990s homicides. Florida has carried out 14 executions this year.
Why it matters
The case raises questions about the use of DNA evidence and due process in capital punishment.
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