Florida has carried out the execution of 72-year-old Daniel Owen Conahan Jr., who was sentenced to death for the 1996 kidnapping and strangulation of
Conahan, who maintained his innocence throughout his decades of incarceration, was pronounced dead following the procedure. According to the Florida Department of Corrections, the inmate remained compliant throughout the day, consuming a final meal of chicken, a baked potato, corn, soda, and pumpkin pie before his death. He reportedly declined meetings with spiritual advisers or visitors prior to the execution.
The Hog Trail Murders Investigation
The case against Conahan originated from a multi-year investigation into the discovery of multiple bodies in the swampy, wooded terrain north of Fort Myers. Between 1994 and 1996, authorities located the remains of at least six individuals in the region. Investigators eventually concluded that the perpetrator appeared to be targeting homeless men, a pattern that drew significant media attention and led to the case being featured in various true-crime media formats over the subsequent three decades.
Law enforcement interest in Conahan intensified in 1996 after a witness, who had been incarcerated for vehicle theft, alleged that Conahan had attempted to lure him to a remote location under the guise of paying him to pose for nude photographs. The witness claimed he escaped after observing a knife. Similar allegations emerged from a separate incident in Fort Myers, where a victim reported being tied to a tree and strangled by a man offering money for nude photos. Following these reports, Conahan was arrested and charged with attempted murder, followed by the murder charge in the death of Richard Allen Montgomery.
Legal Challenges and State Context
Conahan waived his right to a jury trial and was convicted by a judge in August 1999. While he was identified by authorities as a person of interest in several other homicides discovered within a 10-mile radius of the Charlotte County sites, he was never formally charged with those deaths. Even after a 2007 land survey uncovered eight additional bodies in Fort Myers—all of whom were homeless and exhibited injuries similar to the earlier victims—Conahan remained a person of interest rather than a defendant in those cases.
In the final stages of his legal appeals, Conahan’s defense team sought additional DNA testing on evidence collected from the victim. However, the Florida Supreme Court rejected the request, ruling that the presence of third-party DNA would not be sufficient to exonerate him. The U.S. Supreme Court subsequently denied his final appeal on Thursday. This execution contributes to a record-setting year for Florida, which has carried out a significant number of the nation's total executions in 2025.
