TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis rescinded a death warrant for a 74-year-old death row inmate just days before he was scheduled to face lethal injection, marking the first time the governor has taken such an action during his nearly eight years leading the state.
DeSantis delivered a letter Thursday to Florida State Prison Warden Randall Polk withdrawing the warrant for William Lee Thompson, who had been scheduled to die Tuesday for the 1976 kidnapping and murder of Sally Ivester. The Republican governor provided no specific explanation in the letter for his decision, CBS News reported.
Defense cited severe cognitive decline
Thompson’s defense team and capital punishment opponents had actively urged state officials to halt the lethal injection, arguing that the prisoner suffers from dementia, heart failure and profound mental decline. Under U.S. constitutional law, inmates who lack the mental capacity to comprehend their impending punishment and the reasoning behind it cannot legally be executed.
Brittney Lacy, an attorney representing Thompson, said the legal team was relieved by the reprieve. She noted in an email that Thompson suffers from dementia and failing health, emphasizing that both conditions raised grave concerns ahead of the planned lethal injection, the Associated Press reported. Lacy expressed hope that the Florida Department of Corrections would transfer him to a proper medical setting to receive necessary care.
According to court filings described by the New York Post, a neuropsychologist who evaluated Thompson determined that he lacked the mental capacity to understand his execution. Filings also indicated that Thompson demonstrated confusion regarding his surroundings and believed “Bush” was still the U.S. president.
DeSantis had initially approved the death warrant on Sept. 11 but briefly paused proceedings last month to convene a three-physician psychiatric panel to assess Thompson’s sanity. Grace Hanna, executive director of Floridians for Alternatives to the Death Penalty, stated that the results of that evaluation were never publicly shared before the warrant was recalled.
National scrutiny on capital punishment
The decision in Florida unfolded amid heightened attention surrounding capital punishment across the United States. In Tennessee, Gov. Bill Lee paused executions and launched an inquiry after an attempt to execute Christa Pike on Sept. 30 failed despite two lethal chemical doses, CBS News reported. Meanwhile, the Pentagon announced this week that it plans to broadcast the firing squad execution of Fort Hood shooter Nidal Malik Hasan.
Florida maintains one of the nation’s most active execution chambers, having executed 19 prisoners last year, which set a single-year record for the state since capital punishment resumed in 1976.
A separate execution scheduled in Florida for Tuesday remains on the calendar. James Robertson, 63, is set to be executed for the 2008 murder of fellow inmate Frank Hart. Robertson had previously given up all legal appeals, stating to law enforcement that he committed the killing specifically to secure a transfer to death row.
What happens next
Thompson will remain on Florida’s death row following the cancellation. A spokesperson for DeSantis did not immediately respond to requests for comment regarding whether state officials plan to issue a renewed death warrant in the future or address defense requests for medical transfers.
