Florida executes 77-year-old man, making its 18th execution of the year

STARK, Fla. (AP) – Florida carried out its 18th execution of the year on Tuesday under Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis’ aggressive use of the death penalty in his final term.

William Reaves, 77, was pronounced dead at 6:12 p.m. after a three-drug injection at Florida State Prison near Starke. He was convicted of first-degree murder in the September 1986 death of Indian River County Sheriff’s Deputy Richard Raczkoski.

READ MORE: Florida has executed an inmate who killed his cellmate in hopes of getting a death sentence. It is the 17th execution of the state of the year

The death chamber curtain went up promptly at the 6 o’clock execution time with Reaves already on a gurney with an IV in his arm. Asked if he had any last words, he replied “No, I don’t.”

The injection started immediately afterwards. About 30 seconds later, Reaves took a few big breaths and then stopped moving. After a few minutes, the team warden shook Reaves’ shoulder and called his name, but there was no response. A doctor was called a short time later to check for a heartbeat or any other signs of life, and Reaves was pronounced dead about a minute later.

Reaves was the eighth Florida inmate over 70 put to death this year, highlighting the nation’s aging death row population as Florida continues to outpace the rest of the country in total executions. Last year, Florida set a state record with 19 executions in one year, and it is poised to tie that mark if another execution is carried out next month as planned.

DeSantis, who is leaving in January after two terms in office, has said he wants justice delivered to the families of victims, who have often waited decades for death sentences to be imposed.

Marc Raczkoski, the deputy’s brother, told reporters shortly after the execution that his brother would finally get justice.

But Indian River County Sheriff Eric Flowers, who was also on hand, said at a post-execution briefing that he saw the execution as closure, not justice.

“If only we were all so lucky to be 77 years old and die so peacefully,” Flowers said. “That is in no way justice in my opinion.”

Reaves struggled with the deputy after he dropped a gun

Raczkoski responded to a 911 call at a Vero Beach convenience store on Sept. 23, 1986, according to court records. Reaves later acknowledged making the call from a payphone outside the store.

While the two men were talking, a gun fell out of Reaves’ shorts, officials said. They then struggled over the gun, and Reaves eventually regained control of it. Investigators said the deputy was trying to run away when Reaves shot him four times. Raczkoski died of his wounds later that day.

Reaves was convicted and sentenced to death about a year after the shooting. But the Florida Supreme Court overturned the conviction due to a conflict of interest with the prosecutor and ordered a new trial. Reaves was again convicted and sentenced to death again in 1992. Subsequent appeals were unsuccessful.

The U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday afternoon rejected Reaves’ 11th-hour appeal without comment.

Lawyers have challenged the lethal injection procedure

The Florida Supreme Court last week also rejected Reaves’ appeal to spare his life.

His lawyers challenged Florida’s three-drug lethal injection protocol. All Florida executions are carried out by injection of a sedative, a paralyzing agent and a drug that stops the heart, according to the Department of Corrections.

The court previously upheld the protocol against similar challenges. Florida’s method differs from the single-drug injection used in states like Tennessee, where convicted inmate Christa Pike was rushed to the hospital last month after surviving two doses of pentobarbital.

READ MORE: Christa Pike’s lawyers say she is walking and eating with help after failed execution attempt

Reaves’ attorneys also argued that jurors who recommended the death penalty were never told that the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs rated the Army veteran as 100% disabled due to post-traumatic stress disorder from his service in the Vietnam War.

More than 100 military veterans appealed to DeSantis to stop the execution in a letter Monday, citing those factors.

Florida is close to joining its 2025 record of 19 executions

A total of 47 people were executed in the United States in 2025. Florida led the nation with 19 executions that year and accounted for more than half of the 32 U.S. executions — including Reaves — carried out so far in 2026.

In July, Florida executed two inmates in one day, becoming the first state in nearly a decade to do so.

On November 5, Jesse Guardado, 64, is scheduled to receive a lethal injection at the same Florida death chamber. Guardado was convicted of robbing and killing a 75-year-old woman while stealing items on a crack cocaine binge in 2004.