Darius Kimbrough Execution: Florida Rapist to Die After 19 Years On Death Row

The Florida Supreme Court announced that an execution date has been set for Darius Kimbrough, the man who brutally raped and murdered Denise Collins on Oct. 3, 1991, over two decades ago. Florida Governor Rick Scott signed a death warrant on Friday, and Kimbrough is scheduled for death by lethal injection on Nov. 12.

Kimbrough used a ladder to break into Collins's second-story apartment, slipped through the sliding glass door, found Collins as she slept, raped her, beat her, and then left her "nude, semiconscious, and covered in blood." Paramedics rushed Collins to the hospital, but she died shortly after. Authorities matched the blood samples taken from the bed to Kimbrough's DNA. A jury in 1994 found the then 18-year-old Kimbrough guilty of first-degree murder, sexual battery, and burglary. They recommended the death penalty by a vote of 11-1.

It is honorable to consider the "you-have-killed-so-we-will-kill-you-back" logic unethical. It is also detracting from the other immoral issue in the case: the deplorable plight of rape that continues to plague the United States. 

It's true that Kimbrough killing Collins and the state turning killing Kimbrough yield the same result. However, the methods are completely different. If this case proves anything, it's that the United States does not tolerate rape.