Florida authorities executed William Reaves, 77, on Tuesday, Oct. 20, 2026, marking the state's 18th execution of the year. Reaves was pronounced dead at 6:12 p.m. at Florida State Prison following a three-drug lethal injection. He was convicted of first-degree murder for the September 1986 shooting of Indian River County Deputy Richard Raczkoski.
The execution followed decades of legal proceedings. Reaves was first sentenced to death about a year after the shooting, but the Florida Supreme Court overturned that conviction due to a prosecutor's conflict of interest. He was convicted and sentenced to death a second time in 1992. On the afternoon of the execution, the U.S. Supreme Court denied his final appeal without comment, following a similar rejection by the Florida Supreme Court last week.
During the procedure, Reaves declined to give a final statement. According to witnesses, the injection began at approximately 6:00 p.m.; Reaves took several deep breaths and ceased moving about 30 seconds later. A warden checked for responsiveness after several minutes, and a medic confirmed the absence of a heartbeat shortly thereafter. Marc Raczkowski, the deputy's brother, stated that his brother finally got justice, while Indian River County Sheriff Eric Flowers described it as closure rather than justice, citing the peaceful nature of Reaves' death at age 77.
For those tracking judicial and correctional policy, the case underscores challenges to Florida's three-drug protocol, which uses a sedative, a paralytic, and a heart-stopping agent. Reaves' attorneys argued that this method was unconstitutional and noted that other states, such as Tennessee, use a single-drug method. Furthermore, the case highlights the legal relevance of military service and mental health; more than 100 veterans petitioned the governor to halt the execution, noting that Reaves was a Vietnam War veteran rated 100% disabled by the Department of Veterans Affairs due to post-traumatic stress disorder.
The execution sets a path for Florida to potentially match its single-year record for capital punishment. One more execution is currently scheduled for this calendar year. Jesse Guardado, 64, is set to be executed by lethal injection on Nov. 5, 2026. Guardado was convicted in the 2004 robbery and killing of a woman. If that execution proceeds, Florida will reach 19 executions for the year, equaling the state record set in 2025.