DeSantis cancels execution of Florida inmate claiming dementia
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. - Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has withdrawn the death warrant for 74-year-old inmate William Lee Thompson less than a week before his scheduled execution, amid defense reports that the condemned man suffers from severe dementia and heart failure.
Florida death warrant withdrawn
What we know:
DeSantis sent a letter Thursday afternoon to Florida State Prison Warden Randall Polk rescinding the execution order for Thompson.
Thompson was scheduled to die Tuesday, hours before 63-year-old James Robertson, who was convicted of the 2008 murder of his cellmate, Frank Hart, at Charlotte Correctional Institution.
Questions surround mental state
What we don't know:
State officials never released the results of a court-ordered psychiatric evaluation or explained why the governor withdrew the warrant.
It remains unclear whether state officials will seek a new execution date or address Thompson's medical needs through civil court proceedings.
Health claims prompt panel
The backstory:
DeSantis signed Thompson’s death warrant Sept. 11, but defense counsel quickly raised concerns about his physical and mental health.
In a Sept. 15 evaluation, a neuropsychologist found Thompson lacked the mental capacity to understand his execution, believing "Bush" was president and failing to recognize he was on death row.
DeSantis created a three-member panel of psychiatrists under Executive Order 26-192 to evaluate whether Thompson was legally insane.
The psychiatric panel examined Thompson on Oct. 1 and was instructed to submit findings the following day.
Hours before DeSantis withdrew the warrant Thursday, the Florida Supreme Court rejected Thompson's request for a stay.
Sally Ivester killed
The backstory:
According to court records, Thompson, Rocco Surace, Barbara Savage and Sally Ivester were staying together in a motel room in Dade County on March 30, 1976. Thompson and Surace instructed the two women to call their families to obtain money.
When Ivester could only get $25 from her family, she was taken to a bedroom where she was beaten with his chain-link belt, assaulted with a nightstick and chair leg, and burned with cigarettes and lighters.
After a second attempt to get money from her mother, the beating continued in the motel room until she died of internal bleeding and multiple injuries.
Savage testified that she feared for her life if she tried to leave the motel during the attack.
Decades of court battles
Timeline:
March 30, 1976: Ivester died from internal bleeding following a brutal motel room assault involving Thompson and Rocco Surace in Dade County.
April 1, 1976: Police arrested Thompson, who initially pleaded not guilty.
June 17, 1976: Thompson changed his plea to guilty for first-degree murder, kidnapping and sexual battery, receiving a death sentence.
1977: The Florida Supreme Court reversed the judgment, allowing Thompson to withdraw his guilty plea.
September 1978: Thompson pleaded guilty again and received a second death sentence.
1982: U.S. District Court issued a stay halting a death warrant signed by Gov. Bob Graham.
1987: The Florida Supreme Court stayed a death warrant signed by Gov. Bob Martinez and vacated the death sentence.
1989: A jury recommended death by a 7-5 vote during resentencing, and the trial judge reinstated the death penalty.
Nov. 14, 1993: Co-defendant Surace, whose sentence was reduced to second-degree murder after Thompson claimed responsibility, died in prison.
Execution scrutiny grows worldwide
Big picture view:
Grace Hanna, executive director of Floridians for Alternatives to the Death Penalty, pointed to growing international focus on capital punishment following a failed execution in Tennessee.
Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee halted executions and ordered an independent probe after state officials failed to execute Christa Pike on Sept. 30.
Advocates warned Florida could face a similar situation due to Thompson’s poor physical health and compromised veins.
Legal action ongoing
What's next:
Thompson's defense attorneys filed a federal lawsuit seeking adequate medical treatment for his terminal and cognitive conditions.
Robertson remains scheduled for execution Tuesday at Florida State Prison.
The Source: The information in this story was gathered from official executive orders issued by Gov. Ron DeSantis, Florida court records, and statements provided by Floridians for Alternatives to the Death Penalty Executive Director Grace Hanna.