Florida executed a man on Tuesday evening for the fatal shooting of a police officer during a traffic stop in 1991. Billy Leon Kearse, 53, received a lethal injection at Florida State Prison near Starke and was pronounced dead at 6:24 p.m., marking the third execution carried out by the state this year.
Details of the 1991 Crime
Court records show that in January 1991, Officer Danny Parrish of the Fort Pierce Police stopped Kearse for driving the wrong way on a one-way street. When Kearse failed to produce a valid driver's license, Parrish ordered him out of the vehicle and attempted to handcuff him, leading to a physical struggle.
During the altercation, Kearse seized Parrish's service weapon and fired 14 times, striking the officer nine times in the body and four times in his body armor, according to prosecutors. A taxi driver who heard the shots used the officer's radio to call for help. Parrish was rushed to a hospital but later died from his injuries.
Police used license plate information that Parrish had relayed during the stop to arrest Kearse at his home shortly after the incident.
Legal Proceedings and Appeals
Kearse was initially convicted of first-degree murder and robbery with a firearm in 1991 and sentenced to death. However, the Florida Supreme Court later found that the trial court had failed to provide jurors with certain information about aggravating circumstances, ordering a new sentencing hearing. In 1997, Kearse was again sentenced to death.
Hours before Tuesday's execution, the U.S. Supreme Court rejected Kearse's final appeal without comment. Last week, the Florida Supreme Court also denied appeals filed by Kearse, clearing the way for the execution to proceed.
Execution Trends in Florida and the U.S.
Florida has been at the forefront of executions in recent years. In 2025, the state led the nation with 19 executions, a record high driven by a flurry of death warrants signed by Republican Governor Ron DeSantis. This total far outpaced other states like Alabama, South Carolina, and Texas, each of which held five executions last year.
Overall, 47 people were executed in the United States in 2025. So far in 2026, Florida has executed three individuals, including Kearse, while Texas and Oklahoma have each executed one person.
Upcoming Executions in Florida
Two more executions are scheduled in Florida in the coming weeks. Michael Lee King is set to be executed on March 17 for the 2008 kidnap and killing of a mother of two. Former police officer James Duckett is scheduled for execution on March 31 for the 1987 killing of an 11-year-old girl.
All Florida executions are carried out via lethal injection using a three-drug protocol: a sedative, a paralytic, and a drug that stops the heart, according to the state Department of Corrections.
