DEATH ROW CASE: Florida Set to Execute Man Convicted of Killing Teenage Ex-Girlfriend

Florida is scheduled to carry out the execution of Michael Wayne Thompson, 48, on June 25, 2026, for the 2003 stabbing death of his 16-year-old ex-girlfriend, Sarah Jenkins. Thompson, who has spent 22 years on death row, is set to receive a lethal injection at Florida State Prison near Starke unless last-minute legal intervention succeeds.

The case stems from a brutal crime that shocked the small community of Ocala. On the evening of March 14, 2003, Thompson, then 25, confronted Sarah Jenkins outside her family’s home after she ended their relationship. Prosecutors proved that Thompson, fueled by jealousy and alcohol, attacked the teenager with a hunting knife he had brought to the scene. Sarah suffered 27 stab wounds, including multiple defensive wounds on her hands and arms, before collapsing in the driveway. She was pronounced ᴅᴇᴀᴅ at the hospital less than an hour later.

Witnesses, including Sarah’s younger brother who heard the attack from inside the house, provided key testimony. Thompson was arrested the next morning after a brief manhunt. He initially claimed the killing was an accident but later confessed to investigators that he “couldn’t let her leave him.” The confession, recorded on video, became a centerpiece of the prosecution’s case.

At trial in 2004, a Marion County jury convicted Thompson of first-degree murder after less than four hours of deliberation. The jury recommended the death penalty by a 10–2 vote. Circuit Judge Victor Musleh accepted the recommendation, citing the “heinous, atrocious, and cruel” nature of the crime and the fact that Sarah was a minor. Thompson has maintained his innocence in subsequent appeals, arguing that his confession was coerced and that mental health issues, including depression and substance abuse, should have mitigated the sentence.

The Florida Supreme Court upheld the conviction and sentence in 2006. Federal appeals were repeatedly denied, with the U.S. Supreme Court declining to hear the case in 2019. In March 2026, Gov. Ron DeSantis signed a death warrant, setting the June 25 execution date. Thompson’s legal team filed a final appeal on June 10, arguing that new evidence of possible brain damage from repeated head injuries in his youth warranted a new sentencing hearing. The Florida Supreme Court is expected to rule on the stay request within days.

Sarah Jenkins’ family has waited more than two decades for closure. Her mother, Linda Jenkins, has attended every hearing and execution-related proceeding. “Sarah was only 16,” she told reporters in a recent interview. “She had her whole life ahead of her — college, a career, a family. Michael Thompson took all of that away in a fit of rage because she had the courage to leave him. We have waited long enough.”

Thompson’s final meal request has already been submitted: a ribeye steak, baked potato, and chocolate cake. If the execution proceeds as scheduled, he will be the eighth inmate put to death in Florida in 2026, continuing the state’s aggressive pace under Governor DeSantis.

Legal observers note that Thompson’s case highlights recurring themes in Florida capital litigation: the tension between the heinous nature of the crime and claims of mental health mitigation. While defense attorneys argue that Thompson’s history of depression and substance abuse should have spared him from death, prosecutors and the victims’ family insist that the deliberate, planned nature of the attack — bringing a knife to the confrontation — demands the ultimate punishment.

As the execution date approaches, vigils are planned both in support of the Jenkins family and by death-penalty opponents. Thompson’s family has asked for privacy, stating only that they are “praying for a miracle.”

Whether the courts grant a last-minute stay or the execution proceeds as scheduled, the case of Michael Wayne Thompson underscores Florida’s unwavering commitment to carrying out death sentences for those who prey on the most vulnerable. For the Jenkins family, June 25, 2026, represents the final chapter in a 23-year quest for justice — one they hope will finally allow them to begin healing.