Controversial Daily Beast report on DeSantis death row executions sparks fury

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The Daily Beast faced widespread backlash on Wednesday after publishing an "absolutely bonkers" report claiming Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is facing criticism for letting the state carry out executions of death row inmates who also happened to be military veterans — including individuals convicted of murder and rape, which the piece largely failed to mention.

The article, "Veterans Beg Ron DeSantis to Stop Killing Them," insisted the Florida governor is "under fire for turning against his fellow service members and letting executioners slaughter five veterans this year alone." It suggested DeSantis is backtracking on a previous claim that Florida is "the most veteran-friendly state" in the nation because extremely violent criminals aren’t spared the death penalty. 

"Veterans statewide are now pleading with DeSantis to stop the executions of fellow former service members, all of whom devoted part of their life to protecting the country," Kenneal Patterson, who is described as an intern on the liberal website, wrote in the story. The article had the word "backstabber" plastered in all caps and red font beneath the headline. 

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The Daily Beast was roasted on Wednesday after publishing an "absolutely bonkers" report claiming Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is facing criticism from fellow veterans. (Joe Raedle/Getty Images)

The story noted that DeSantis served in the U.S. Navy himself, and that more than 130 fellow veterans penned a letter asking him to "stop setting the executions of our fellow soldiers." 

The Daily Beast report named several veterans who have either been executed or are awaiting execution, failing to inform readers of the crimes that the majority of them were found guilty of. 

The only veteran whose crime was noted in the article was Jeffrey Hutchinson, who "was executed in May for the murders of his girlfriend and her three children." 

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The Daily Beast article claimed "Veterans statewide are now pleading with DeSantis to stop the executions of fellow former service members," while largely failing to outline the crimes committed by the convicted murderers and rapists on death row in Florida.  (iStock)

When shared on X, the Daily Beast report was slapped with a Community Note: "The @thedailybeast defends Bobby Joe Long, executed in 2019, but omits why: Long was a serial killer who raped and murdered at least 10 women in Tampa Bay in 1984. He confessed and was convicted of eight homicides, plus additional rapes and abductions." 

Two other veterans named in the article were convicted of rape and murder, including a man who killed an 8-year-old girl and her grandmother, but the report didn’t mention why they landed on death row. 

DeSantis’ Communications Director Alex Lanfranconi provided a comment to the Daily Beast. 

"A simple trick to avoid execution in Florida is to not murder people," Lanfranconi said. 

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The article was widely criticized on social media:

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The Daily Beast did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Fox News Digital.  

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