NewzMIAMI (AP) — Florida is set Tuesday to carry out its 18th execution of the year under Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis ’ aggressive use of the death penalty in his final term. William Reaves, 77, was sentenced to death after being convicted of first-degree murder for the 1986 shooting of Indian River County Deputy Richard Raczkowski.
He would become Florida’s eighth prisoner over the age of 70 to be executed this year, which has highlighted the nation’s aging death-row population and underscored how Florida has outpaced the rest of the country in executions. Reaves was set to receive a three-drug injection starting at 6 p.m. at Florida State Prison near Starke.
Last year, Florida set a state record with 19 executions in a single year. Another execution is scheduled for November, which would tie that mark if both are carried out as planned. DeSantis, who leaves office in January, has said previously that his goal is to bring justice to victims’ families who have waited decades for the death sentences to be carried out.
Fought with a deputy after dropping a gun According to court records, Raczkowski responded to a 911 call at a Vero Beach convenience store in September 1986. Reaves acknowledged that he had placed the call at a payphone outside the store. While Raczkowski and Reaves spoke, a gun fell out of Reaves’ shorts, officials said.
The men struggled over the firearm and Reaves eventually regained control over it. Investigators said the deputy attempted to run away before Reaves shot him four times. The deputy later died from his wounds.
Reaves was initially convicted and sentenced to death about a year after the shooting. The Florida Supreme Court reversed the conviction because of a conflict of interest with the prosecutor and ordered a new trial. Reaves was convicted and sentenced to death a second time in 1992, and subsequent appeals have been unsuccessful.
Summary from source