Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL) withdrew the death warrant for an elderly inmate before he was set to be executed by lethal injection next week.
DeSantis did not say why he revoked the death penalty for William Thompson, 74, in a signed letter on Thursday, but the move is likely related to the fact that the defendant has dementia and a heart condition. The Florida governor, who has approved the death penalty for other inmates several times during his second term, signed the death warrant for Thompson on Sept. 11.
Thompson was set to die next Tuesday for the murder and kidnapping of 23-year-old Sally Ivester in 1976. Thompson was 24 years old at the time of Ivester’s murder.
DeSantis previously delayed the scheduled execution pending a psychiatric evaluation for the 74-year-old inmate.
An attorney for Thompson argued he needs medical care rather than the death penalty.
“Mr. Thompson suffers from dementia and his health is failing — both of which were gravely concerning with an impending execution,” Bri Lacy said, per the Associated Press. “Now that Mr. Thompson is no longer under a death warrant, we hope [the Florida Department of Corrections] will relocate him to an adequate medical facility and provide the care he needs.”
While he no longer has a death warrant, Thompson remains on Florida’s death row. This means he could get another death warrant signed by the governor, whether that’s DeSantis or his successor.
Thompson was one of two inmates expected to be executed on Tuesday. The other execution is still moving forward as planned.
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Florida carried out 19 executions last year, which the state is already set to surpass this year if the sole remaining execution scheduled for Oct. 13 proceeds.
The death penalty has garnered ample attention due to recent events. Convicted murderer Christa Pike survived a botched execution involving two lethal doses of pentobarbital in Tennessee last week, and the federal government revealed this week that convicted Fort Hood shooter Nidal Hasan will be executed live on camera in early December.
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[ H/T Washington Examiner ]
