On Tuesday, the state of Florida executed Mark Allen Geralds. The 58-year-old man died by lethal injection at Florida State Prison. He was put to death for the 1989 murder of Tressa Lynn Pettibone, a 33-year-old mother. The execution took place at 6:15 p.m. ET.
This was the 18th execution in Florida this year. That is the highest number in a single year under Governor Ron DeSantis.
The case lasted nearly 37 years through the legal system. Pettibone’s family followed the appeals for decades. They said the execution finally brings them some relief and closure.
The Crime: A Brutal Attack
Mark Allen Geralds was 22 years old when he killed Tressa Pettibone. The murder happened on February 1, 1989. Pettibone’s 8-year-old son made the terrible discovery. He came home from school and found his mother on the kitchen floor. She was beaten, tied up, gagged, and stabbed to death.
Prosecutors said the attack lasted about 20 minutes. It was described as one of the most horrific crimes the Panama City area had ever seen.
How Geralds Was Caught
Geralds was linked to the crime quickly. On the afternoon of the murder, he pawned some jewelry. The jewelry matched items that were stolen from Pettibone’s home.
Police also found a key piece of evidence in his car. They discovered plastic ties that matched the ones used to bind Pettibone.
Geralds was not a stranger to the victim. He had worked on a remodeling project at her home about a year earlier. A week before the murder, he saw Pettibone and her children at a mall. He asked her son specific questions. He wanted to know when the boy’s father would be home and about their daily schedule.
Prosecutors believe he used this information to plan the crime. They said he broke into the home to rob it. He believed there was $7,000 inside. The robbery turned into a violent murder. Pettibone died from blood loss after a severe beating.
Trial, Escape, and Execution
A jury convicted Geralds in 1990. He was found guilty of first-degree murder, armed robbery, and other charges. He was originally sentenced to death. The Florida Supreme Court later overturned that sentence but upheld his conviction. In 1992, he was sentenced to death again.
Before his trial, Geralds made a dramatic escape. He and four other inmates broke out of the Bay County Jail. Reports say his wife smuggled in small saw blades. The inmates used them to cut through the bars. They then used a rope made from bedsheets to climb out a sixth-floor window. They were all captured within hours.
In his final weeks, Geralds chose not to pursue any more appeals. He did not request a special last meal. He also declined to have any visitors or a spiritual adviser with him.
The execution brings an end to a long and painful case for the victim’s family. Tressa Pettibone’s murder, remembered for its cruelty, has finally seen justice served.