Additional Coverage:
- Florida man who invited neighbor for coffee then brutally killed her to be executed today (irishstar.com)
Florida Man to Be Executed for 1998 Murder of Neighbor
A Florida man convicted of the brutal rape and murder of his next-door neighbor is scheduled for execution on Tuesday evening. Norman Mearle Grim Jr., 65, is slated to receive a lethal injection at 6 p.m. EDT at Florida State Prison near Starke.
Grim was found guilty in December 2000 of sexual battery and first-degree murder in the 1998 death of Cynthia Campbell, a 41-year-old lawyer. He was subsequently sentenced to death.
This execution marks Florida’s 15th death sentence carried out in 2025, further extending the state’s record for total executions in a single year.
Campbell was reported missing in 1998. Her body was discovered hours later off the Pensacola Bay Bridge by a fisherman.
Prosecutors found she had sustained severe blunt-force injuries to her face and head, consistent with being struck by a hammer. She also suffered 11 stab wounds to the chest, which an autopsy confirmed had punctured her heart.
According to an archived report from the Pensacola News Journal, Campbell had called police the morning of her disappearance to report a broken window in her home. While an officer was at her residence, Grim, her neighbor, invited her over for coffee. The deputy reportedly encouraged Campbell to accept the invitation.
Campbell then entered Grim’s home, where she was brutally attacked. Physical evidence, including DNA, linked Grim to her murder, leading to his conviction and death sentence.
During the penalty phase of his trial, Grim declined to present any mitigating evidence, which typically includes factors like childhood trauma or mental illness that could lead to a lighter sentence.
Earlier this month, Grim waived any appeals during a hearing, foregoing the opportunity to appeal to the Florida Supreme Court and the U.S. Supreme Court, which is generally available to inmates once a death warrant is signed.
Since the U.S. Supreme Court reinstated the death penalty in 1976, Florida’s previous highest annual total of executions was eight in 2014. This year, Texas and Alabama followed Florida with five executions each.
Two additional executions are planned for next month in Florida, under death warrants signed by Republican Governor Ron DeSantis. The state Department of Corrections states that Florida’s lethal injections utilize a sedative, a paralytic, and a drug to stop the heart.