Florida Executes William Reaves, Its 18th of 2026

Florida executed William Reaves, 77, by lethal injection on October 20, carrying out its 18th execution of 2026. Reaves was pronounced dead at 6:12 p.m. at Florida State Prison near Starke, after the U.S. Supreme Court rejected his final appeal without comment earlier that afternoon. He had been sentenced to death for the 1986 killing of Indian River County Deputy Richard Raczkowski. Reaves received a three-drug injection, Florida’s standard execution method, which uses a sedative, a paralytic and a drug that stops the heart. At the execution, he declined to make a final statement. The injection began shortly after 6 p.m., and he was pronounced dead after prison staff checked for signs of life. Reaves’ attorneys had argued that jurors who recommended the death penalty were not told the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs had rated him 100% disabled because of post-traumatic stress disorder stemming from his service in the Vietnam War. More than 100 veterans also asked Gov. Ron DeSantis to halt the execution in a letter, citing his military service and disability rating. The execution proceeded after the courts rejected his appeals. Court records say Raczkowski responded to a...