Florida executes man who killed deputy after fighting for gun
Summary
Florida executed William Reaves, 77, for the 1986 murder of Deputy Richard Raczkowski on Tuesday using a three-drug lethal injection. This was Florida's 18th execution of the year, continuing a trend under Governor Ron DeSantis to increase the use of the death penalty.Key Facts
- William Reaves was executed at Florida State Prison after being convicted of killing Deputy Raczkowski in 1986.
- The execution used a three-drug injection: a sedative, a paralytic, and a drug to stop the heart.
- Reaves fought with the deputy over a gun before shooting him four times.
- Florida has carried out more than half of the 31 executions in the U.S. so far in 2025.
- This is Florida’s 18th execution this year, approaching last year’s state record of 19 executions.
- Reaves was over 70 years old at execution, highlighting an aging group of death row inmates.
- Reaves’ lawyers argued that jurors were not told about his 100% disability rating for PTSD from the Vietnam War.
- The Florida Supreme Court rejected Reaves’ last appeals shortly before his execution.
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