STARKE, Fla. — A man convicted of murdering eight people in Miami-Dade County in the late 1970s was executed Monday night, despite his lawyers’ pleas that he was too mentally ill to be put to death.

John Errol Ferguson, 65, died following a lethal injection.

The execution came less than two hours after the U.S. Supreme Court denied a final request for a stay.

Ferguson made a brief statement before 25 witnesses, including family members of the victims.

“I just want everyone to know that I am the prince of God and will rise again,” he said calmly.

His lawyer Christopher Handman said Monday that Ferguson “is insane and incompetent for execution by any measure.”