Doctor Death', the journalist who has witnessed 105 executions in Florida

"To cover an execution in Florida, John Koch, a 76-year-old radio correspondent, spends exactly $56.73. This is when, to save gas, he drives along rural roads from his home in the northern part of the peninsula to the state prison near Starke (about 62 miles south) without accelerating his old Honda above 43 mphabout 1,600 revolutions per minute. Koch has documented every execution in the state for the past 37 years."

"Why do I do executions? Well, I'm good at my job. And two, I could talk about what really is the issue. And it's the lack of news in the communities, and dumbing down of the people, and depending on social media where everybody's a reporter, and everybody's a truth finder, and everybody's a photographer, and everybody's right, he says."

"This year, Florida set a record for executions with 19nearly half of the 47 carried out nationwide. The previous highest number recorded in the state was eight, in 1984 and again in 2014. The figure also represents about a fifth of all the executions Koch has covered throughout his career. Three years ago, the radio network for which he worked as a death penalty correspondent for over three decades informed him that they would be terminating his contract, so he now covers executions independently."

John Koch spends $56.73 and drives rural roads at about 43 mph to cover executions at the state prison near Starke. He has documented every execution in Florida for 37 years, beginning with Ted Bundy's electric chair execution in 1989 and most recently covering Frank Athen Walls's lethal injection. He estimates attendance at 105 executions. Florida carried out a record 19 executions this year, nearly half of the 47 nationwide, representing about a fifth of the executions Koch has covered. His radio network ended his contract three years ago, and he now covers executions independently while sending dispatches with uncertain pay.

Read at english.elpais.com