William Reaves, a 77-year-old Vietnam War veteran, has been executed in Florida for the 1986 killing of an Indian River County sheriff's deputy, despite a last-minute clemency appeal backed by more than 100 fellow veterans. The execution took place at Florida State Prison at 6.12pm local time, where Reaves declined to say any last words, according to the Daily Star.
Execution details and context
Reaves was administered a three-drug lethal injection, marking Florida's 18th execution this year and the eighth involving an inmate aged over 70. The state carried out a record 19 executions in 2025, a figure that could be equalled if another prisoner scheduled to die in November is put to death.
Outgoing Governor Ron DeSantis, whose term ends in January, defended the state's capital punishment schedule, insisting that justice for victims' families is long overdue following decades of waiting.
Trial concerns and appeals
Reaves' defence team highlighted a significant failing in his original trial: jurors were never informed of his 100% disability rating from the Department of Veterans Affairs, awarded due to severe post-traumatic stress disorder sustained during his combat service in Vietnam.
Alongside a final appeal submitted to DeSantis on Monday, Reaves' legal team also challenged Florida's three-drug lethal injection protocol, which comprises a sedative, a paralytic agent, and a cardiac-arresting drug. Although the Florida Supreme Court dismissed his state appeals last week, a final petition remained pending before the US Supreme Court.
The 1986 killing
The killing dates back to September 1986 at a Vero Beach convenience store, where Deputy Richard Raczkowski responded to a 911 call placed by Reaves from a nearby payphone. Court documents reveal that during their conversation, a firearm slipped from Reaves' shorts.
A struggle for the weapon followed, culminating in Reaves regaining possession and firing four shots into Raczkowski as the deputy attempted to flee. Raczkowski subsequently died from his gunshot wounds. Reaves was initially sentenced to death in 1987, but the state Supreme Court overturned the verdict due to a prosecutor conflict of interest. A retrial in 1992 produced an identical outcome, resulting in a second death sentence.
Florida's execution record
Florida's surge in executions under DeSantis has seen the state responsible for more than half of the nation's 31 executions this year, adding to its country-leading figures from 2025. This included an uncommon double execution in July, the first occasion a state had executed two inmates on the same day in almost 10 years.
The state's execution chamber is scheduled to be used again on November 5 for 64-year-old Jesse Guardado, convicted of the 2004 robbery and murder of a woman to finance a drug habit. Should Guardado's execution proceed, Florida will equal its previous record of 19 executions within a single calendar year.
