STARKE, Fla. (WWSB) – Daniel Conahan Jr. was executed by lethal injection Thursday evening at Florida State Prison, nearly three decades after he was convicted of kidnapping and murdering a Southwest Florida man.
The 72-year-old’s execution was carried out at 6:12 p.m. September 10, according to the Florida Department of Corrections.
Conahan was convicted of the 1996 kidnapping and murder of 21-year-old Richard Allen Montgomery.
Investigators said Conahan lured Montgomery to a wooded area in Charlotte County, where he was strangled and killed.
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Evidence found at the scene indicated Montgomery had been tied to a tree and strangled. His body was discovered the day after his death by county utility workers.
The Montgomery case became part of a larger investigation known as the “Hog Trail Murders,” involving several men who were found dead across Southwest Florida.
Conahan was never charged in those other homicides. However, investigators have long suspected he could have been connected to additional victims.
One of those suspected victims was William Melarango, whose body was discovered in March 1996.
Members of Melarango’s family were among the people who witnessed Conahan’s execution Thursday.
The family provided ABC 7 with two written statements describing the pain and trauma they have endured over the years.
They also expressed hope that Conahan’s execution will mark the beginning of a new chapter of healing.
Twenty people witnessed Conahan’s execution.
Conahan did not make a final statement. He instead chose to meet with a spiritual adviser before his execution.
Thursday’s execution was the 15th carried out in Florida so far this year.
For families who have spent decades living with unanswered questions surrounding suspected victims, Conahan’s death marks an emotional moment and, they hope, a step toward closure.
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