Long road to justice: Florida set to execute man after 24 years in jail

Barring any last-minute intervention, the long arm of justice has finally catch up with Michael Tanzi, 48, the man convicted of brutally killing a Miami Herald worker during her lunch break 24 years ago.

Tanzi, who has spent over two decades on Florida’s death row, is scheduled for execution by lethal injection at 6 p.m. on Tuesday April 8, 2025, at Florida State Prison.

This move is followed by a death warrant signed by Governor Ron DeSantis.

Janet Acosta, a production staffer at the Miami Herald, had only stepped out for a short break on April 25, 2000, when Tanzi pounced.

He approached her in her van, asked for a cigarette, and then launched a violent assault, punching her repeatedly.

The predator then kidnapped Acosta, forced her to drive to the Florida Keys, and used her ATM card to withdraw cash.

Court documents reveal Tanzi stopped at a store to buy duct tape and razor blades, before telling Acosta he was going to kill her.

“He taped her mouth, nose and eyes to silence her and strangled her to death,” the state’s capital case summary said.

Acosta’s friends raised the alarm when she didn’t return to work.

Police later found her van in Key West and, after arresting Tanzi, got a full confession and the location of her body.

“If I let her go, I was gonna get caught quicker,” Tanzi chillingly told officers. “I was having too much fun.”

He was found guilty on all charges: murder, kidnapping, carjacking and robbery.

A Monroe County jury voted 12-0 for the death penalty.

Despite repeated appeals, Tanzi’s fate was sealed.

He recently argued that his obesity and sciatica would cause extreme pain during execution, but Florida’s Supreme Court dismissed the claim.

If carried out, Tanzi’s execution will be Florida’s third this year with more still scheduled.

Justice, though slow, finally speak for Janet Acosta.

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