‘Hog Trail Killer’ executed Thursday for 1996 Florida murder
Daniel Conahan Jr., a 72-year-old convicted murderer known as the “Hog Trail Killer,” was executed Thursday at Florida State Prison for the 1996 killing of Richard Montgomery.
Conahan’s time of death was 6:12 p.m. by lethal injection. When asked if he had any last words, he replied: “No sir, I do not.”
Conahan was convicted of first-degree premeditated murder and kidnapping, with the jury unanimously recommending a death sentence.
Officials said Conahan woke up at 5:30 a.m. Thursday. Conahan’s last meal was chicken, corn, baked potato, soda and pumpkin pie. He had no visitors, but he did meet with a spiritual advisor. A spiritual advisor was also speaking to him the entire time during the execution. Eleven victims’ family members witnessed his execution.
“It’s been kind of crazy to think that it’s been that long, and that man’s had this opportunity, even though he’s been locked up, to still have his life when he cut Richard so short, you know, you never know what someone could have been like, and what they would have become, you know. So it’s been crazy that it’s been this long, and I hope that he’ll rest easy after this is all said and done,” a friend of Montgomery said.
Conahan was investigated but not charged in the deaths of five other men found in the woods from North Port to Fort Myers between 1993 and 1996.
Written statements were handed out after the execution from the family of William Melaragno, a suspected victim of Conahan’s.
His niece, Emma Melaragno, wrote the following:
“When you took the life out of your victims’ bodies, you not only killed them, but took a piece of each heart of every single family member and friend impacted by their atrocious, devastating, unnecessary murders.”
A sibling of Melaragno, Joan Rodemann, wrote the following:
“As you are put to death today, we can celebrate! Finally, the gates of HELL will open, and you can join the other soulless spawns of the devil.”
Gulf Coast News anchor Lindsey Burrell was at Florida State Prison for the execution. The room was packed with 20 witnesses.
Florida has executed 14 inmates this year, and Conahan is the 15th. Protestors gathered outside the prison in opposition of the death penalty.
