The state of Florida has executed its latest death row inmate over the age of 70 — marking the eighth prisoner past that age to be put to death so far this year.
William Reaves, 77, was executed via a three-drug lethal injection at Florida State Prison on Tuesday, decades after he was convicted of first degree murder in the shooting of Indian River county deputy Richard Raczkowski.
He was pronounced dead at 6.12pm, twelve minutes after the execution curtain went up to reveal him already strapped to the gurney with an IV in his arm.
When asked if he had any final words to say he replied: ‘No, I do not.’
According to The Guardian, he took several big breaths and then stopped moving around 30 seconds after the lethal dose was administered.
‘Would we all be so lucky to be 77 years old and to die so peacefully? That’s not justice in any way, in my opinion,’ Indian River County Sheriff Eric Flowers said following the execution.
Raczkowski was killed in September 1986 after he responded to a 911 call placed from a convenience store in Vero Beach, Florida — a call which Reaves later admitted placing himself.
While the two men spoke a gun fell from Reaves’ shorts, leading to a struggle as he tried to regain control of the weapon. Ultimately he did, shooting the deputy four times as he tried to run away.
While Reaves was originally sentenced to death a year later, the conviction was overturned because of what was said to be a conflict of interest with the prosecutor.
However, he was again found guilty and sentenced to death during a second trial in 1992, with subsequent appeals proving unsuccessful.
The final appeal was rejected by the US Supreme Court on Tuesday, just hours before the execution was carried out. The Supreme Court in Florida also turned down the plea.
An attempt was also made by veterans to prevent the execution from going ahead. It previously emerged that defence lawyers for Reaves highlighted the fact that the Vietnam vet was classified as being 100% disabled by PTSD — something which was not made clear to jurors who recommended the death penalty in his case.
Reaves’ execution was the 18th to be carried out in Florida so far this year under governor Ron DiSantis, who has sped up the process of carrying them out before he leaves office in January.
The state currently holds the record for the most executions carried out in a single year, putting 19 prisoners to death in 2025 — something which they could equal if another execution scheduled for next month goes ahead.
The fact that eight of those executed were aged 70 or over has also highlighted the issue of the ageing death row population both in Florida and beyond, with many prisoners having languished behind bars for decades awaiting their sentence to be carried out.
The issue has divided people, with some pointing out that lengthy appeals are needed in many cases despite delaying justice for the families of victims. However, those against capital punishment have highlighted the humanitarian aspect of executing prisoners who have reached old age.
Florida’s next scheduled execution is that of 64-year-old Jesse Guardado on November 5.