Gadsden County man executed for stepdaughter’s slaying

STARKE, Fla. (AP) – A Florida man who fatally shot his sleeping wife and then raped and killed his young stepdaughter 22 years ago has been put to death for the child’s slaying.

Forty-three-year-old Chadwick Banks was pronounced dead at 7:27 EST Thursday after a lethal injection at Florida State Prison, the office of Gov. Rick Scott said.

Banks was condemned for the September 1992 killing of 10-year-old Melody Cooper. Banks also received a life sentence for the murder of his wife, Cassandra Banks, in a community outside the state capital of Tallahassee.

Authorities said Banks was drinking and playing pool at a bar before going home about 3 a.m. the night of the slayings.  Banks shot his wife point-blank in the head and then raped and shot his stepdaughter, according to authorities