An appeal by Florida bishops to Gov. Ron DeSantis to spare the life of Louis Gaskin went unheeded as the state of Florida carried out the execution Wednesday. 

“Taking the life of Mr. Gaskin will not restore the victims’ lives,” Michael Sheedy, executive director of the Florida Conference of Catholic Bishops (FCCB), said in a letter urging the governor to grant clemency. “Rather, premeditated, state-sanctioned killing disrespects the sacredness of all human life and perpetuates the cycle of violence and vengeance.” 

Gaskin was sentenced to death in connection with the 1989 murders of Georgette and Robert Sturmfels in Palm Coast, Florida. The FCCB urged DeSantis to commute the sentence to life imprisonment.

In the letter, the bishops said they recognized that Gaskin's actions caused irreversible damage and that the families, loved ones and communities of the victims have experienced significant distress.

“Intentionally ending Mr. Gaskin’s life is unnecessary,” the letter said. “The alternative to the death penalty of lifelong incarceration without parole is a very severe punishment which keeps society safe.”

Members of the Catholic faith were invited to offer prayers for Gaskin, his victims, their families and for society, by assembling at specified times and venues. They were also urged to pray for an end to capital punishment and violence as a means of retribution, the FCCB said.

Gaskin, 56, was executed at 6 p.m. Wednesday.

The media referred to Gaskin as the “ninja killer,” because he had donned all-black ninja-style clothing before he shot and killed the New Jersey-based Sturmfels while they were in their winter home in Flagler County, the New York Post reported.

He was found guilty during a 1990 trial, and a jury voted 8-4 in favor of the death penalty. Florida law has since been changed and currently requires juries to reach a unanimous decision for death penalty sentences.

Gaskin’s lawyers had appealed for a stay of execution, but the final denial came Tuesday, USA Today reported.