Melvin Trotter is scheduled for execution in Florida on February 24, 2026 for the 1986 murder of Virgie Langford. It is the second death warrant of 2026, following an unprecedented execution pace in 2025.

This execution comes amid mounting evidence that the State of Florida has repeatedly failed to follow its own lethal injection rules.

This was a devastating crime that ended a human life and caused immeasurable harm to the people who loved Virgie Langford. Nothing in this petition diminishes that loss or the gravity of the crime. Honoring victims means acknowledging that harm — and refusing to allow more violence to be carried out in their names.

Melvin Trotter is now 65 years old and has spent nearly four decades on death row. He is asking courts to stay his execution so that Florida’s lethal injection practices can be independently investigated before another irreversible act is carried out.

According to Florida’s own records, the Department of Corrections has used expired execution drugs, prepared incorrect dosages, administered drugs not authorized by its written protocol, and failed to keep basic records documenting what drugs were used and when. These failures were uncovered through litigation following recent executions and raise serious constitutional concerns.

A stay of execution is not weakness. It is responsibility. Florida should pause executions until it can demonstrate transparency, accountability, and compliance with its own rules.

Florida led the nation in executions in 2025 by setting its own record for executions with Governor DeSantis signing 19 death warrants last year. Let's make sure Florida does not repeat this record in 2026. Learn more about this case at Floridians for Alternatives to the Death Penalty.

Communities of Faith - Toll Your Bells (or put up a sign & pray in the weeks prior) at the time of an execution. Learn more and register here.

This petition will be updated as more information is available. Last updated February 5, 2026.

Join the Virtual Sit In

Call Gov. DeSantis at 850-717-9337 with the following message:

"Hi. My name is [your name]. I am calling to urge Gov. DeSantis to reverse course and halt all plans to execute Melvin Trotter on February 24. 2026. As someone who purports to follow catholic teachings, it is deeply disappointing that he does not extend these teachings to the individual condemned to death in the state of Florida. Mark Geralds is also the third warrant signed in a row for a person whose right to representation in state courts remains deeply uncertain."

REGISTER FOR THE VIRTUAL VIGIL BEGINNING AT 5PM ET ON 2/24.

While most states have moved away from the death penalty, Florida is accelerating executions at an alarming rate. Each warrant signed underscores the state’s embrace of a punishment that is arbitrary, racially biased, and out of step with evolving standards of decency.

We believe in accountability, and have sympathy for the victim's family members, friends and community. Their loss is tragic and unimaginable. But true justice and accountability does not require execution. A sentence of life without the possibility of parole protects society while also recognizing the human capacity for redemption and the role of childhood trauma in shaping adult behavior.

Florida does not need the death penalty to be safe. This execution will not make us safer, it will simply add another act of violence to an already tragic story. Justice does not require death.

Please sign the petition asking Governor Ron DeSantis and the Florida State Board of Executive Clemency to do everything within their power to stop this execution, including issuing a stay, and seeking a path to clemency in the case.