Man convicted of killing estranged wife dies after four decades on Florida’s death row

STARKE, Fla. (AP) — A man convicted of killing his estranged wife has died after spending more than four decades on Florida’s death row.

Robert Peede, 81, died Monday at Florida State Prison in Starke, according to Florida Department of Corrections records. His cause of death wasn’t immediately reported.

Peede was convicted in 1984 of murdering his estranged wife, Darla Peede, a year earlier.

According to court records, Robert Peede drove from his home in North Carolina to Florida in March 1983 with the intention of making his wife return to North Carolina with him.

During the drive back, Peede stopped just outside of Orlando and fatally stabbed his wife in the neck, prosecutors said. Her body was later found dumped in a wooded area of Georgia.

When Peede was arrested at his home in Hillsboro, North Carolina, Darla Peede’s car was parked outside. Its interior was heavily bloodstained.