STARKE, Fla. — A Florida inmate convicted of raping and killing a college student decades ago screamed and yelled "murderers!" repeatedly as he was being put to death.
Authorities say 47-year-old Eric Scott Branch was pronounced dead Thursday evening after receiving a lethal injection at Florida State Prison. Branch was convicted of the 1993 rape and fatal beating of 21-year-old college student Susan Morris, whose naked body was found buried in a shallow grave.
Just as officials were administering the drugs that included a powerful sedative, Branch let out a loud, blood-curdling scream. He then thrashed about on his gurney and yelled "murderers!" three times before falling silent with a groan.
Evidence shows that Branch approached Morris after she left a night class on Jan. 11, 1993, so he could steal her red Toyota and return to his home state of Indiana. He was arrested while traveling there.
Branch also was convicted of sexually assaulting a 14-year-old girl in Indiana and of another sexual assault in Panama City, Fla.
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