A convicted killer described by attorneys as “morbidly obese” spent his final hours eating pork chops, bacon, ice cream, and candy before being executed Tuesday night for the shocking kidnapping and murder of a beloved Miami Herald employee that haunted Florida for decades. Michael Tanzi, 48, was pronounced dead at Florida State Prison after receiving a lethal injection for the 2000 killing of Janet Acosta — a hardworking newspaper production employee who was attacked while eating lunch alone inside her van.
Investigators said Tanzi ambushed Acosta in broad daylight, robbed her, then drove her vehicle nearly 140 miles to the Florida Keys in a horrifying abduction that ended in murder. Authorities revealed he ultimately strangled the mother and abandoned her body on a remote island before fleeing. The brutal case triggered a massive investigation that led detectives to Tanzi, whose violent crime shocked South Florida and devastated Acosta’s loved ones.
In the days leading up to his execution, Tanzi’s legal team launched desperate appeals, arguing his obesity and medical conditions could cause severe pain during the lethal injection process. But Florida courts rejected the claims, clearing the way for the execution to move forward. Prison officials later revealed Tanzi’s final meal included a pork chop, bacon, baked potato, corn, soda, ice cream, and a candy bar. His only visitor before death was a spiritual adviser.
Moments before the execution began, Tanzi quietly apologized to Acosta’s family and recited a Bible verse. Witnesses reported his chest heaved for several minutes after the lethal drugs were administered before correctional officers confirmed he was no longer responsive. More than two decades after Janet Acosta’s murder stunned the community, the case closed with the execution of the man prosecutors called a cold-blooded predator who destroyed an innocent life in one of Florida’s most disturbing murder cases.
