A 54-year-old American, who was sentenced to death for the murders of two women in 1996, was executed on Tuesday in Florida, in the southern United States, American media reported.

Michael Jacques was executed by lethal injection at around 6:00 p.m. (local time; 1:00 a.m. today Greek time) at Rayford State Prison, according to the press. He expressed his remorse in a message released by an organization of Florida residents who oppose the death penalty.

He was sentenced to death in 1997 for sexually assaulting, raping and murdering a woman he had met in a bar. He was also found guilty of murdering another woman, who he also met in a bar, around the same time, for which he was sentenced to life in prison.

Appeals by his lawyers, who argued he was mentally retarded due to fetal alcohol syndrome, were all rejected, including their appeal to the High Court last Monday to stay the execution.

This is the sixth execution in Florida in 2023 and the 19th overall in the US. All were done using lethal chemical injections.