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Florida Executes William Reaves After Supreme Court Denies Stay

By Drooid · Oct 21, 2026, 2:45 AM UTC · How we work

Summary

Story summary

Florida executed 77-year-old veteran William Reaves by lethal injection on Oct. 20, 2026.
Reaves had been convicted of first-degree murder for shooting Deputy Richard Raczkowski in September 1986.
Over 100 veterans wrote to Governor DeSantis urging clemency, citing Reaves’s 100% PTSD disability rating.
Governor Ron DeSantis signed Reaves’s death warrant on Sept. 18 after issuing 20 warrants this year.
The U.S. Supreme Court denied a stay after Florida’s Supreme Court rejected Reaves’s appeals.

History

Historical Context

The 1976 U.S. Supreme Court decision in Gregg v. Georgia revived capital punishment after the 1972 Furman moratorium, establishing modern death-penalty protocols. Florida’s Department of Corrections has executed 20 inmates in 2026, and Governor Ron DeSantis signed 20 death warrants this year, reflecting aggressive enforcement. Reaves’s lethal injection follows a 2026 petition from 100 veterans urging Governor DeSantis to commute his sentence, echoing past clemency battles over PTSD-afflicted soldiers. The Gregg precedent suggests that future legal challenges may force Florida to reassess death-penalty applications for disabled veterans, potentially reshaping statewide sentencing policy.

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Story summary

Florida executed 77-year-old veteran William Reaves by lethal injection on Oct. 20, 2026.
Reaves had been convicted of first-degree murder for shooting Deputy Richard Raczkowski in September 1986.
Over 100 veterans wrote to Governor DeSantis urging clemency, citing Reaves’s 100% PTSD disability rating.
Governor Ron DeSantis signed Reaves’s death warrant on Sept. 18 after issuing 20 warrants this year.
The U.S. Supreme Court denied a stay after Florida’s Supreme Court rejected Reaves’s appeals.

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