DeSantis Withdraws William Thompson’s Death Warrant

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis withdrew the death warrant for William Lee Thompson on Thursday, five days before the 74-year-old was scheduled to be executed, canceling the execution planned for October 13. The withdrawal came after a state-appointed panel of three psychiatrists examined Thompson and submitted a report to the governor, though its findings have not been made public in the supplied reporting. DeSantis did not explain his decision in a letter to Florida State Prison Warden Randall Park, according to reporting on the letter. The governor had temporarily paused the warrant in September to allow the psychiatric evaluation. The panel met with Thompson on October 1 and sent its report to DeSantis on October 2. Thompson’s lawyers have argued that dementia and declining brain function leave him legally incompetent for execution. His attorney, Brittney Lacy, described severe confusion and difficulty answering basic questions in an emergency petition, according to one account. The reports do not disclose the panel’s conclusions, and the governor’s stated reason for withdrawing the warrant remains unknown.