Florida death row: Gov. DeSantis signs 16th death warrant in 2026

FLORIDA - Gov. Ron DeSantis signed his 16th death warrant Wednesday for death row inmate Curtis W. Beasley, scheduling his execution for Sept. 29 following his conviction in a 1995 Polk County murder. 

Florida death penalty warrant

What we know:

According to court documents, 77-year-old Curtis W. Beasley is scheduled to be executed on Sept. 29 after Gov. Ron DeSantis signed his 16th death warrant.

Beasley, 46 at the time, was convicted of bludgeoning 62-year-old Carolyn Monfort to death on Aug. 21, 1995, inside her Polk County home. Records state Beasley had been staying there while performing maintenance work at the apartments she managed.

Court documents say Monfort's daughter discovered her mother's body in the laundry room after not hearing from her for two days. 

Investigators located a bloody hammerhead wrapped in two dishtowels near the body. 

Court records show Beasley stole Monfort's car and money before fleeing to Alabama, where authorities found him living in a motel under an assumed name several months later.

Beasley was sentenced to death in 1998, along with 15 years for robbery and five years for grand theft auto. Documents show that Beasley maintained his innocence throughout the investigation, trial and sentencing process. 

Polk County murder history

The backstory:

The signing marks the latest action in Florida's active capital punishment calendar. Florida set a modern state record for executions in 2025 when DeSantis issued death warrants that resulted in 19 executions, surpassing the previous record of eight set in 2018.

William Frances Silvia, 61, is the most recent inmate to have been executed on Aug. 18. His death marked the 13th execution in Florida this year.

 Two additional executions are set for September:

• 1976: Harold Gene Lucas, 24, threatened to kill his 16-year-old girlfriend, Jill Piper, following a week of arguments. On Aug. 13, Lucas went to Piper’s Bonita Springs home with a rifle and opened fire on her and her friends in the yard. Piper was shot, made it inside the house, and was shot several more times by Lucas, who also attempted to kill her friends.
• September 1, 2026: Lucas, now 74, is scheduled to die by lethal injection after 50 years on death row.

• 1996: Daniel Owen Conahan Jr. lured 21-year-old Richard Alan Montgomery to a remote area in Charlotte County under the pretense of paying him for nude photos. Montgomery’s body was found in carpet padding the next day.
• September 10, 2026: Conahan, now 72, is scheduled to be executed by lethal injection.

Florida