Supreme Court of Florida

Florida executed William Reaves, 77, by lethal injection on Tuesday evening at Florida State Prison for the 1986 killing of Indian River County Sheriff's Deputy Richard Raczkoski, the state's 18th execution this year under Gov. Ron DeSantis. Reaves, a Vietnam veteran whose lawyers cited PTSD from his combat service, declined a final statement after his appeals were rejected by the Florida Supreme Court and U.S. Supreme Court. Raczkoski's family and the sheriff who witnessed the execution said it brought closure, though the sheriff disputed it amounted to justice. Florida accounts for more than half of the 32 executions nationwide this year; a scheduled November 5 execution of Jesse Guardado would tie the state's record of 19, set last year.

Florida carried out its 18th execution of 2025 on Tuesday, putting to death William Reaves, 77, for the 1986 killing of Indian River County Deputy Richard Raczkowski. Reaves became the state's eighth death-row prisoner over 70 executed this year. The U.S. Supreme Court rejected his final appeal without comment; his attorneys had challenged Florida's three-drug lethal injection protocol and argued jurors were never told Reaves, a Vietnam veteran, was rated 100% disabled by PTSD. More than 100 veterans had asked Gov. Ron DeSantis to halt the execution. Florida set a record with 19 executions last year, and a November 5 execution of Jesse Guardado would tie that mark.

Florida executed James Robertson, 63, on Tuesday for the 2008 strangling of his cellmate, Frank Hart, at Charlotte Correctional Institution. Robertson pleaded guilty, waived all appeals, and told investigators he killed Hart specifically to secure a death sentence rather than remain in prison for life. He declined last words and was pronounced dead about 10 minutes after a three-drug lethal injection at Florida State Prison near Starke, in the state's first execution since a botched Tennessee execution two weeks earlier.

Gov. Ron DeSantis had been set to carry out a second execution the same day but withdrew the death warrant for William Lee Thompson without explanation, following a prior stay for psychiatric evaluation; Thompson, whose attorneys cite dementia and failing health, remains on death row. Robertson's execution was Florida's 17th of 2026, with William Reaves and Jesse Guardado scheduled next for Oct. 20 and Nov. 5, which would match the state's 2025 total. DeSantis oversaw a record 19 executions in 2025, and Florida has carried out more than half of the 31 executions nationwide so far this year, amid heightened scrutiny following Tennessee's failed lethal injection and a planned livestreamed firing squad execution of Nidal Hasan.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has withdrawn the death warrant for William Lee Thompson, 74, the first time he has reversed a signed execution order since taking office. Thompson had been scheduled to die Tuesday for the 1976 murder, kidnapping and sexual battery of Sally Ivester in Dade County. DeSantis gave no reason in his Thursday letter to the Florida State Prison warden, but the move follows reports from Thompson's attorneys that he suffers from dementia, heart failure and declining cognitive capacity, including not recognizing he had been sentenced to death. DeSantis had previously ordered a psychiatric panel to evaluate Thompson's sanity after counsel argued he could not understand his impending execution. The Florida Supreme Court had denied a stay hours before DeSantis acted. Thompson remains on death row and could receive a new warrant later.

A second execution scheduled for the same day, James Robertson, 63, convicted of killing his cellmate in 2008, is still set to proceed. The reversal comes amid heightened scrutiny of capital punishment nationally following Tennessee's botched execution attempt of Christa Pike.

Florida executed Curtis Wilkie Beasley, 77, Tuesday evening at Florida State Prison near Starke, pronounced dead at 6:12 p.m. following a three-drug lethal injection, for the 1995 murder of Carolyn Monfort, 62, whom he beat to death with a claw hammer while staying at her Dundee home doing painting work. Investigators found her body in a blood-splattered laundry room after her daughter could not reach her; a bloody hammer was recovered nearby, and Monfort's blood was found on a shirt identified as Beasley's. Prosecutors said Beasley took Monfort's car and fled, eventually to Alabama, where he was arrested working under a fake name for an electrical company. Convicted and sentenced to death in 1998, Beasley apologized for "all the mistakes" he made in a final statement but had long maintained his innocence. The Florida Supreme Court rejected appeals citing his age and cognitive decline, and the U.S. Supreme Court denied his final appeal without comment.

This was Florida's 16th execution and the 29th nationally this year, and the seventh Florida execution this year of a prisoner over 70, as the state nears last year's record of 19. Two more Florida executions are scheduled for October, though Gov. Ron DeSantis has paused one pending a competency evaluation of William Lee Thompson, 74, amid dementia concerns. William Reaves, 77, is set for execution Oct. 20. Tennessee separately executed Christa Pike this week, its first execution of a woman in 200 years.

Florida executed Curtis Wilkie Beasley, 77, Tuesday for the 1995 murder of Carolyn Monfort, whom he beat to death with a hammer in her Dundee home while working nearby. He fled in her stolen car, was later arrested in Alabama under a false name, and was convicted and sentenced to death in 1998. The Florida Supreme Court rejected appeals arguing his age and cognitive decline made execution cruel and unusual punishment, and a final appeal was pending before the U.S. Supreme Court. He became the seventh Florida prisoner over age 70 executed this year and the nation's 29th overall.

Florida has carried out the majority of U.S. executions in 2025, approaching last year's record of 19. Two more Florida executions remain scheduled: William Lee Thompson, 74, set for October 13, whose case has been paused by Gov. Ron DeSantis pending a competency evaluation over possible dementia; and William Reaves, 77, scheduled for October 20. Separately, Tennessee planned to execute Christa Pike on Wednesday, marking its first execution of a woman in 200 years.

Orange County Circuit Judge Diana Tennis has resigned from the bench amid a judicial discipline case, with her departure taking effect this week. Tennis, who served in Orange and Osceola counties since 2015, was accused last year by Florida's Judicial Qualifications Commission of making roughly 900 political contributions totaling about $29,000 to Democratic candidates and organizations, in violation of the state's Code of Judicial Conduct.

Tennis had initially agreed to a public reprimand, but the Florida Supreme Court rejected that deal in June, later indicating it would impose a suspension and fine in addition to the reprimand. Her term was set to expire in January and she was not seeking reelection. Her attorney, Warren Lindsey, praised her record of service to the Central Florida community, calling her retirement a loss for the region.

Florida is scheduled to execute Harold Gene Lucas, 74, by lethal injection Tuesday at Florida State Prison near Starke, marking the state's 14th execution of the year. Lucas was convicted of fatally shooting 16-year-old Jill Piper in 1976 after she rejected his romantic advances, and of wounding two of her friends. He was sentenced to death five times across multiple resentencings following appeals, and has spent nearly 50 years on death row. Lucas waived further appeals, telling a judge he was "tired" and wanted the process over.

Florida has carried out more executions than any other state in 2025, accounting for more than half of the 23 total executions nationwide, including a rare same-day double execution in July. Two more Florida executions are scheduled this month: Daniel Owen Conahan Jr. on September 10 and Curtis Wilkie Beasley on September 29. Gov. Ron DeSantis has signed death warrants for both. Florida uses a three-drug lethal injection protocol involving a sedative, a paralytic, and a heart-stopping drug.