After nearly three decades on death row, Curtis Wilkie Beasley faced his final hours. The Florida inmate, convicted in the 1995 killing of Carolyn Monfort, was 77 when the state carried out his execution by lethal injection. Before the drugs were administered, Beasley offered an apology, bringing a final moment of reflection to a case that had remained part of the state’s death-penalty system for decades.

For a man who had spent nearly thirty years waiting for his sentence to be carried out, the final hours represented the end of an extraordinarily long legal and personal journey. The execution brought the case to its final stage, while the circumstances surrounding Monfort’s death remained the central reason Beasley had been condemned.

Before entering the death chamber, Beasley was permitted to request a final meal. His choice was notably simple: grilled cheese sandwiches and ice cream. According to a Florida Department of Corrections spokesman cited by the Associated Press, those were the foods he requested before the execution.

Florida allows condemned inmates to request a final meal costing no more than $40, using food available locally. The tradition has become a familiar part of executions in the United States, but the meals themselves can vary dramatically from one inmate to another. In Beasley’s case, the selection was uncomplicated, consisting of familiar foods rather than an elaborate final feast.

The simplicity of the meal stood in striking contrast to the gravity of the circumstances surrounding it. A person who had spent decades awaiting execution was sitting in his final hours, knowing that his life was about to end. Outside the death chamber, the legal process that had continued for years was reaching its conclusion.

On Tuesday, a spiritual adviser sat beside Beasley during the execution at Florida State Prison near Starke. The presence of a spiritual adviser provided him with support during the final moments as officials prepared to administer the lethal injection.

Before the drugs were administered, Beasley spoke a final statement of apology. He said, **“I want to apologize for all the mistakes I made.”** The words were brief, but they marked his final public statement before the execution was carried out.

At 6:12 p.m., Beasley was pronounced dead.

The execution brought an end to a case that had begun in August 1995 with the discovery of Carolyn Monfort inside her Dundee home. According to the account, Monfort’s daughter became concerned after being unable to reach her mother for two days. When she went to check on her, she discovered that her mother had died.