More than four decades after 18-year-old Patricia “Patty” Gifford was raped and murdered, her killer took his final breath — without divulging where he placed her body when he tried to conceal his depraved crime.
Dennis Sochor, 74, was executed by lethal injection at 6:16 p.m. at Florida State Prison in Raiford, according to the Florida Department of Corrections. Sochor declined a last meal and met with a spiritual adviser and a visitor before his execution, reports say.
In his final words, Sochor addressed Gifford’s family, saying he was “deeply sorry” and commended his spirit to Jesus Christ, according to The Associated Press.
“This day did not bring Patty back, and it does not erase the 44 years our family has lived without her,” Gifford’s family said in a statement on Tuesday. “Patty was 18 years old, full of life, and deeply loved by her family and friends.”…