DeSantis withdraws death warrant for first time, calling off execution
The governor acted after doctors and attorneys raised questions about dementia, heart disease and other illnesses, while Thompson had been set for execution next Tuesday.
- On Thursday, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis withdrew the death warrant for 74-year-old William Lee Thompson, canceling his execution scheduled for October 13 without providing a specific explanation for the reversal.
- DeSantis previously commissioned a three-member psychiatric panel under Executive Order 26-192 to evaluate Thompson after defense counsel raised concerns about his mental capacity. A neuropsychologist found Thompson failed to recognize he was on death row, believing "Bush" was president.
- According to court filings, Thompson suffers from advanced dementia, systolic congestive heart failure, and sepsis, with severe wasting cachexia dropping his weight to 99 pounds. He carries 17 surgical abdominal staples and three head staples from a recent fall.
- Hours before withdrawing the warrant, the Florida Supreme Court rejected Thompson's stay request, yet the state continues preparing for the unrelated execution of James Robertson on Tuesday at Florida State Prison.
- Grace Hanna, executive director of Floridians for Alternatives to the Death Penalty, warned of growing international scrutiny following recent failed executions elsewhere. Advocates argue that executing frail inmates violates the Eighth Amendment's protection against cruel and unusual punishment.
65 Articles
65 Articles
Latino Evangelical Leaders Ask Florida to Pause the Death Penalty After Failed Execution in the U.S.
The state was to execute two people this Tuesday on the same day, but Governor DeSantis stopped the death of William Lee Thompson for now.
DeSantis cancels the execution of William Lee Thompson in Florida: what changes for the 74-year-old convict and what establishes the law on his mental health.
Unexpectedly, Ron DeSantis withdrew an order to execute a prisoner sentenced to death for brutally murdering a young woman
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis officially suspended the execution order issued against William Lee Thompson, a 74-year-old prisoner sentenced to death for a brutal murder committed in Miami-Dade County in 1976. The decision, communicated by a letter to Florida State Prison Warden Randall Polk, nullifies the sentence that was scheduled to be carried out this Tuesday. Although the missive did not explicitly detail the reasons for the withdrawal, th…
DeSantis Withdraws Death Warrant for Sick Inmate Who'd Been Refused Care
Gov. Ron DeSantis has withdrawn the death warrant for William Lee Thompson, who was scheduled to be one of two inmates executed on Tuesday. DeSantis didn’t state a reason for the change in his Thursday afternoon letter to Florida State Prison Warden Randall Polk, but it comes as Thompson’s counsel and opponents of the death penalty have reported the 74-year-old inmate has several health issues including dementia and heart failure
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