Florida: Kayle Bates executed – despite racist influence and lack of DNA tests

On Tuesday evening, 67-year-old Kayle Barrington Bates, a Muslim convert to Islam who called himself Maud Dib Al Sharif Qu’un, was executed by lethal injection in the US state of Florida. He was sentenced to death for allegedly kidnapping, sexually assaulting, robbing and murdering a 24-year-old woman in 1982.

Bates maintained his innocence, but DNA tests – which were not yet available in the early 1980s – were never carried out.

The organization “Floridians for Alternatives to the Death Penalty” (FADP) pointed out in its statement that Bates’ trial was riddled with racial prejudice. The fact that the victim’s white clergyman prayed for wisdom and guidance for the 12 jurors and the judge, all of whom were white, at the beginning of the trial is just one of many pieces of evidence.

His first defense attorney proved to be incompetent and the jury decided on the death sentence after only 50 minutes.

In a second sentencing hearing, the jury asked the judge during their deliberations whether they could recommend a life sentence without the possibility of parole. The judge declined to answer the question and the jury again voted 9 to 3 in favor of the death sentence.

One of his lawyers today said Bates had devoted himself to studying the Koran and had been a mentor and calming presence for some of the younger men on death row.

It was the tenth execution in Florida this year, breaking all records for Gov. Ron DeSantis. Two more death sentences are to be carried out in the coming weeks – DeSantis is currently issuing execution orders every two weeks.

Sources:
https://eu.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2025/08/19/kayle-barrington-bates-execution-renee-white-florida/85729740007/
https://www.fadp.org/statement-on-the-execution-of-kayle-bates-maud-dib-al-sharif-quun/