TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) — A man who was found guilty of kidnapping a woman in Miami and later strangling her is set to face execution next month after Gov. Ron DeSantis signed a death warrant on Monday. Michael Tanzi, 48, is slated to be executed on April 8 at Florida State Prison.
According to court records, Janet Acosta was sitting in her parked van in April 2000 when Tanzi attacked her and brandished a razor blade. Tanzi bound and silenced Acosta, then drove her van towards the Florida Keys. Along the way, Tanzi sexually assaulted Acosta and used her bank card to withdraw money from ATMs.
In a remote area of Cudjoe Key, Tanzi strangled Acosta and abandoned her body before heading to Key West to visit friends. Acosta’s disappearance was reported by her friends while Tanzi was on the move through the Keys. Police identified the van and apprehended Tanzi.
Tanzi’s execution would mark the third in Florida this year. James Dennis Ford was executed in February for the 1997 murder of a couple in Charlotte County, while Edward James is set to be executed on March 20 for the 1993 crimes of killing a woman and raping and murdering her 8-year-old granddaughter in Seminole County.
