STARKE, Fla. (AP) – Florida carried out its 18th execution of the year on Tuesday under Republican Governor Ron DeSantis ‘ aggressive use of the death penalty during his last term.
William Reaves, 77, was pronounced dead at 6:12 p.m. from a three-drug injection at the Florida State Prison near Starke. He was convicted of first-degree murder in the September 1986 shooting death of Indian River County Sheriff’s Deputy Richard Raczkoski.
The death chamber curtain rose quickly at execution time at 6 p.m., with Reaves already strapped to a gurney with an IV in his arm. When asked if he had any final words, he replied, “No, I don’t.”
The injection started immediately afterwards. About 30 seconds later, Reaves took several deep breaths then stopped moving. After a few minutes, the team manager shook Reaves’ shoulders and shouted his name, but there was no response. A doctor was called shortly afterward to check for a heartbeat or other signs of life, and Reaves was pronounced dead about a minute later.
Reaves was Florida’s eighth prisoner over 70 years old put to death this year, highlighting the nation’s aging death row population as Florida continues to far outpace the rest of the country in total executions. Last year, Florida set a state record with 19 executions in a year, and it is on pace to match that figure if another execution takes place next month as planned.
DeSantis, who is leaving office in January after two terms, said he wants justice for the families of victims who often waited decades for death sentences to be handed down.
Marc Raczkoski, the deputy’s brother, briefly told reporters after watching the execution that his brother had finally received justice.
But Indian River County Sheriff Eric Flowers, who was also present, said in a post-execution briefing that he viewed the execution as closure, not justice.
“Would we all be so lucky to be 77 years old and die so peacefully,” Flowers said. “It’s not justice in any way, in my opinion.”
Reaves fought with deputy after dropping gun
Raczkoski responded to a 911 call at a Vero Beach convenience store on Sept. 23, 1986, according to court records. Reaves later admitted he made the call from a pay phone outside the store.
As the two men spoke, a gun fell out of Reaves’ shorts, officials said. They then fought 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 later that day from his injuries.
AP AUDIO: Florida set to carry out 18th execution this year, closing in on record tie
Florida is preparing to carry out another execution. AP correspondent Mike Hempen reports.
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 convicted again and sentenced to death in 1992. Subsequent appeals were unsuccessful.
The U.S. Supreme Court rejected Reaves’ appeal Tuesday afternoon, without comment.
Lawyers challenge lethal injection procedure
The Florida Supreme Court also last week rejected Reaves’ appeals seeking to spare his life.
His lawyers challenged Florida’s three-drug lethal injection protocol. All executions in Florida are carried out by injection of a sedative, paralytic and heart-stopping drug, according to the Department of Corrections.
The court has already upheld the protocol against similar challenges. The method used in Florida differs from the single-drug injection used in states like Tennessee, where a condemned inmate Christine Pike was rushed to hospital last month after surviving two doses of pentobarbital.
Reaves’ attorneys also argued that jurors who recommended the death penalty were never informed that the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs had rated the Army veteran as 100 percent disabled due to post-traumatic stress disorder stemming from his service in the Vietnam War.
More than 100 veterans called on DeSantis to halt the execution in a letter Monday, citing those factors.
Florida set to match 2025 record of 19 executions
A total of 47 people were executed in the United States in 2025. Florida led the nation that year with 19 executions 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 prisoners in one daybecoming the first state in nearly a decade to do so.
On November 5, Jesse Guardado, 64, was to receive a lethal injection in the same Florida mortuary. Guardado was convicted of robbing and killing a 75-year-old woman while stealing items during a crack cocaine binge in 2004.
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The story has been updated to correct the spelling of the deputy’s last name to Raczkoski, not Raczkowski, throughout.
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