Florida executed William Reaves, 77, by three-drug lethal injection on Tuesday for the 1986 shooting of Indian River County sheriff’s deputy Richard Raczkowski. It was the state’s 18th execution this year.
Reaves was pronounced dead at 6:12 p.m. at Florida State Prison near Starke, according to CBS News US. Earlier on Tuesday afternoon, the U.S. Supreme Court rejected his 11th-hour appeal without comment, according to PBS NewsHour.
Reaves was convicted of first-degree murder in the September 1986 shooting death of the deputy, according to PBS NewsHour. Guardian World reports that he was the eighth Florida prisoner over age 70 put to death this year.
Reaves’ attorneys argued that jurors who recommended death were never told that the Department of Veterans Affairs rated him, an Army veteran, 100% disabled by PTSD from Vietnam War service, according to CBS News US. CBS also reports that more than 100 veterans sent Gov. DeSantis a letter on Monday asking him to stop the execution.
Indian River County Sheriff Eric Flowers said at a post-execution briefing that he saw the execution as closure, not justice, according to PBS NewsHour.
Reaves was first convicted in the case, but the Florida Supreme Court overturned that conviction over a conflict of interest involving the prosecutor and ordered a new trial. He was convicted and sentenced to death in 1992.
Florida led the U.S. with 19 executions in 2025. In July, the state executed two prisoners in one day, the first state to do so in nearly a decade. DeSantis, who leaves office in January after two terms, has said his goal is to bring justice to victims’ families who have waited decades for sentences to be carried out.
The sources differ on the national total. CBS News US says there have been 31 U.S. executions in 2026, while PBS NewsHour, citing AP, and Guardian World say there have been 32, including Reaves. The sources also differ on the spelling of the deputy’s surname: CBS and Guardian World use Raczkowski, while PBS NewsHour uses Raczkoski.
Several points remain unresolved. The sources report no response from DeSantis or his office to the veterans’ letter, and no response from the VA about the disability rating. They do not say whether the jurors’ lack of knowledge about the rating was raised in court or how the courts ruled on it. No independent medical findings on the cause of death are reported. The VA rating and the veterans’ letter are reported by CBS News US alone.
Jesse Guardado, 64, is scheduled to receive a lethal injection in Florida on Nov. 5. If it is carried out, Florida would tie its record of 19 executions in a year. Sources describe Guardado’s 2004 crime differently: PBS NewsHour, citing AP, says he robbed and killed a 75-year-old woman while stealing items on a crack cocaine binge, while CBS News US and Guardian World say he robbed and killed a woman to buy drugs.
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This article was written with AI assistance from the published reporting listed above. It is part of the World Brief daily news podcast.