Melvin Trotter, 65, is scheduled for execution by lethal injection on Feb. 24, 2026, after a 1987 conviction for the 1986 strangling and stabbing of grocery store owner Virgie Langford. Trotter was resentenced in 1993 following a Florida Supreme Court order. Authorities cite victim identification, a Tropicana badge labeled "Melvin," a T-shirt with the victim’s blood type found at Trotter’s home, and a matching handprint on a store meat cooler. Trotter’s lawyers are expected to pursue appeals in state and federal courts as Florida resumes an accelerated execution schedule following a record year in 2025.
Florida Sets Feb. 24 Execution Date For Man Convicted In 1986 Grocery Store Killing
FILE -The entrance to Florida State Prison in Starke, Fla. is shown Thursday, Aug. 3, 2023. (AP Photo/Curt Anderson)(ASSOCIATED PRESS)
A death warrant signed by Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis schedules the execution of Melvin Trotter, 65, for Feb. 24, 2026, at Florida State Prison. Trotter was convicted in the 1986 strangling and stabbing of grocery store owner Virgie Langford in Palmetto. The warrant makes Trotter Florida’s second planned execution of 2026 and follows a record number of executions authorized in 2025.
Case Background
Trotter was first convicted of first-degree murder and sentenced to death in 1987. The Florida Supreme Court later found errors in how the trial court handled aggravating factors and ordered a new sentencing hearing; Trotter was resentenced to death in 1993.
Evidence and Investigation
According to court records, Langford was found alive by a truck driver after the attack and was able to describe her assailant before later dying at a hospital. She described the attacker’s physical appearance and an employee badge bearing the name "Melvin." Police say they recovered a T-shirt at Trotter’s home with the victim’s blood type and identified a handprint matching Trotter’s on a meat cooler at the grocery store.
Legal Status and Next Steps
Attorneys for Trotter are expected to file appeals with the Florida Supreme Court and the U.S. Supreme Court. If carried out, the execution would be by lethal injection.
Broader Context
Gov. DeSantis authorized a record 19 executions in 2025, the most by a Florida governor since the death penalty’s reinstatement in 1976; the previous single-year state record was eight in 2014. Nationally, 47 people were executed in the U.S. in 2025 — the highest annual total since 2009. Florida appears to be resuming a pace of roughly two executions per month after a January pause; another inmate, Ronald Palmer Heath, 64, is scheduled for execution on Feb. 10, 2026.
Note: This report summarizes public court records and official notifications. Appeals and legal filings may alter the timing or outcome.
Help us improve.
