Florida Executes Frank Walls for 1987 Murders

Frank Athen Walls, a 58-year-old man convicted of murdering two people during a 1987 home invasion in Florida's Panhandle, was executed by lethal injection Thursday evening at Florida State Prison near Starke, marking the state's 19th execution this year.

Walls was pronounced dead at 6:11 p.m. after the procedure began at 6 p.m. He received a three-drug cocktail consisting of a sedative, a paralytic and a drug that stops the heart, as outlined by the Florida Department of Corrections. A Catholic priest sat nearby during the execution, extending a hand toward Walls' lower leg. No complications were reported.

Before the injection, Walls offered a brief apology, according to Alex Lanfranconi, a spokesman for Governor Ron DeSantis. "Good evening, everyone. I appreciate the opportunity to say what's on my heart. If any of the members of the family are here, I am sorry for all of the things I did, the pain I caused, and all of that you have suffered all these years," Walls said.

Walls had been sentenced to death in 1988 for the killings of Eglin Air Force Base airman Edward Alger, 22, and his girlfriend Ann Peterson, 20. Court records show that on July 17, 1987, Walls broke into the...