Man Put To Death For Murdering Eight

A man convicted of murdering eight people in Miami-Dade County in the late 1970s was executed Monday night at the Florida State Prison, despite his lawyers' pleas that he was too mentally ill to be put to death.

John Errol Ferguson, 65, died at 6:17 p.m., following
a lethal injection. The execution came less than two
hours after the U.S. Supreme Court denied a final
request for a stay.

Ferguson made a brief statement before 25
witnesses, including family members of the victims.

"I just want everyone to know that I am the prince
of God and will rise again," he said calmly.

About three minutes into the procedure, he moved
his head, strained his neck, moved his feet, put his
head back down and closed his eyes. The entire
execution took 16 minutes.

About three dozen people protested across the
street from the prison.