Former Marine executed for the 1979 killing of a girl, 6, who was abducted from her bedroom

STARKE, Fla. - A man convicted of killing a 6-year-old girl who was abducted from her bedroom has been executed in Florida .

Bryan Frederick Jennings received a lethal injection Thursday evening at Florida State Prison near Starke for the May 1979 murder of Rebecca Kunash, who was raped and drowned in a canal.

The 66-year-old ex-Marine was convicted and sentenced to death twice in Brevard County, both of which were reversed on appeal. A final trial in 1986 resulted in a third death sentence.

Thursday's execution marked a record 16th execution in Florida to date this year, with two more executions scheduled before the end of 2025.

The U.S. Supreme Court denied his final appeal Wednesday.

The backstory:

According to court records, Jennings was a 20-year-old on leave from the Marin