A 64-year-old man, Victor Jones, was executed by lethal injection in Florida on Tuesday for the 1990 murders of his employers, Jacob and Matilda Nestor. This marks the 34th execution in the United States this year, the highest number since 2014. The execution took place at 6:13 pm (2213 GMT) at a state prison near Jacksonville, as confirmed by the Florida Department of Corrections. Jones had stabbed the Nestors to death during a robbery shortly after starting work at their Miami-based company. Before succumbing to his injuries, Jacob Nestor managed to shoot Jones in the head. Last week, the Florida Supreme Court rejected appeals to halt the execution, despite arguments that Jones was intellectually disabled and had suffered abuse at a notorious reform school during his teenage years. Florida leads the nation in executions this year with 13, followed by Texas with five, and South Carolina and Alabama with four each. Of the 34 executions nationwide, 28 were carried out by lethal injection, two by firing squad, and four by nitrogen hypoxia, a method criticized by UN experts as cruel and inhumane. The death penalty remains abolished in 23 US states, with three others—California, Oregon, and Pennsylvania—imposing moratoriums. President Donald Trump has advocated for expanding the use of capital punishment for severe crimes.