Florida puts 77-year-old man to death for a deputy's killing in its 18th execution this year

STARKE, Fla. (AP) — Florida carried retired its 18th execution of the twelvemonth connected Tuesday nether Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis ’ assertive usage of the decease punishment successful his last term.

William Reaves, 77, was pronounced dormant astatine 6:12 p.m. pursuing a three-drug injection astatine Florida State Prison adjacent Starke. He was convicted of first-degree execution successful the Sept. 23, 1986, shooting decease of Indian River County sheriff's lawman Richard Raczkoski.

The decease enclosure curtain went up promptly astatine the 6 p.m. execution time, and Reaves was already strapped to a gurney with an IV successful his arm. Asked if helium had immoderate past statement, helium replied ”No, I bash not.”

The injection began instantly aft that. About 30 seconds later, Reaves took respective large breaths and past stopped moving. After a fewer minutes, the squad warden shook Reaves’ shoulders and yelled his name, but determination was nary response.

A medic was called into the enclosure a abbreviated clip aboriginal to cheque for a heartbeat oregon immoderate different signs of life, and Reaves was pronounced dormant astir a infinitesimal later.

Reaves was the 8 Florida captive implicit property 70 enactment to decease this year, highlighting the nation’s aging death-row colonisation arsenic Florida continues to acold outpace the remainder of state successful full executions.

Last year, Florida acceptable a authorities grounds with 19 executions successful a azygous twelvemonth and it would necktie that people if different execution is carried retired adjacent period arsenic scheduled.

DeSantis, who leaves bureau successful January aft 2 terms, has said his extremity is to present justness to victims’ families who person waited decades for decease sentences to beryllium carried out.

Reaves struggled with a lawman aft dropping a gun

Raczkoski responded to a 911 telephone astatine a Vero Beach convenience store successful September 1986, according to tribunal records. Reaves aboriginal acknowledged helium had placed the telephone from a payphone extracurricular the store.

While the 2 men conversed, a weapon fell retired of Reaves’ shorts, officials said. They past struggled implicit the weapon, and Reaves yet regained power of it. Investigators said the lawman was trying to tally distant erstwhile Reaves changeable him 4 times. Raczkoski aboriginal died from his wounds.

Reaves was convicted and sentenced to decease astir a twelvemonth aft the shooting. But the Florida Supreme Court overturned the condemnation due to the fact that of a struggle of involvement with the authoritative and ordered a caller trial. Reaves was convicted again and recently sentenced to decease successful 1992. Subsequent appeals were unsuccessful.

The U.S. Supreme Court connected Tuesday day rejected Reaves’ 11th-hour entreaty without comment.

Lawyers challenged lethal injection procedure

The Florida Supreme Court past week besides rejected Reaves’ appeals seeking to spare his life.

His attorneys challenged Florida’s three-drug lethal injection protocol. All Florida executions are carried retired via injection of a sedative, a paralytic and a cause that stops the heart, according to the Department of Corrections.

The tribunal has antecedently upheld the protocol against akin challenges. Florida's method differs from the single-drug injection utilized successful states specified arsenic Tennessee, wherever condemned inmate Christa Pike was rushed to a infirmary past period aft surviving 2 doses of pentobarbital.

Reaves' attorneys besides argued that jurors who recommended the decease punishment were ne'er told the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs had rated the Army seasoned arsenic 100% disabled due to the fact that of post-traumatic accent upset stemming from his work successful the Vietnam War.

More than 100 subject veterans appealed to DeSantis to halt the execution successful a missive Monday, citing those factors.

Florida is adjacent to matching past year’s record-setting numbers

A full of 47 radical were executed successful the United States successful 2025. Florida led the federation that twelvemonth with 19 executions and has accounted for much than fractional of the 32 U.S. executions, including Reaves', that person been carried retired truthful acold successful 2026.

In July, Florida executed 2 prisoners successful 1 day, becoming the archetypal authorities successful astir a decennary to bash so.

Jesse Guardado, 64, is scheduled to person a lethal injection successful Florida connected Nov. 5. Guardado was convicted of robbing and sidesplitting a 75-year-old woman, Jackie Malone, portion stealing items connected a ace cocaine binge connected Sept. 13, 2004.

____

The communicative has been updated to close the spelling of the deputy's past sanction to Raczkoski, not Raczkowski, throughout.