Ron DeSantis Withdraws Execution Warrant for Florida Death Row Inmate William Lee Thompson
- Florida Governor Ron DeSantis withdrew an execution order for 74-year-old death row inmate William Lee Thompson, halting a lethal injection scheduled for October 13, 2026, Infobae reported.
- Thompson's defense attorneys and anti-death penalty organizations had repeatedly warned that the inmate suffers from advanced dementia, heart failure, and severe cognitive decline.
- The evaluation took place on October 1, 2026, with the medical report due the following day.
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis withdrew an execution order for 74-year-old death row inmate William Lee Thompson, halting a lethal injection scheduled for October 13, 2026, Infobae reported. The decision marks the first time DeSantis has withdrawn an execution warrant since taking office, according to Associated Press records. While the suspension stops the immediate execution for the 1976 murder of Sally Ivester, it does not vacate Thompson’s death sentence, leaving him on death row as prosecutors weigh seeking a new date.
The Medical and Legal Scrutiny Preceding the Stay
Thompson’s defense attorneys and anti-death penalty organizations had repeatedly warned that the inmate suffers from advanced dementia, heart failure, and severe cognitive decline. Grace Hanna, executive director of Floridians for Alternatives to the Death Penalty, stated that Thompson did not know where he was, believed George Bush was president, and frequently failed to recognize he was condemned to die. Less than a week after signing the execution warrant, DeSantis appointed a three-psychiatrist board to examine the prisoner after defense lawyers argued a neuropschologist concluded Thompson met criteria for insanity.
The evaluation took place on October 1, 2026, with the medical report due the following day. DeSantis withdrew the execution order hours after the Florida Supreme Court rejected a separate defense request for a stay. Defense attorney Bri Lacy told Associated Press that the legal team hopes the Florida Department of Corrections will now transfer Thompson to an appropriate medical facility for necessary care.
Decades of Legal Proceedings Following the 1976 Murder
Thompson was arrested on April 2, 1976, two days after the attack on Sally Ivester inside a motel room in Miami-Dade County. Court records cited by CBS News Miami show that Thompson, Rocco Surace, Ivester, and Barbara Savage were sharing the room when Thompson and Surace demanded the women obtain money from their families. When Ivester secured only 25 dollars, she was beaten with a chain belt, a club, and a chair leg, and subjected to cigarette burns until she died of internal bleeding.
Thompson initially pleaded guilty to first-degree murder, kidnapping, and sexual assault, receiving a death sentence on June 17, 1976. The Florida Supreme Court vacated those convictions in 1977, allowing him to withdraw his plea before he pleaded guilty again and was resentenced to death in 1978. Federal and state courts reviewed and overturned subsequent execution orders and death sentences in 1982 and 1987. A 1989 resentencing hearing resulted in a jury recommending the death penalty by a seven-to-five vote, which the state supreme court ultimately upheld.
Broader Execution Protocols and Remaining Florida Warrants
The cancellation of Thompson’s execution unfolds amid heightened national scrutiny regarding lethal injection protocols. In Tennessee, Governor Bill Lee suspended executions and ordered an investigation after Christa Pike survived two doses of pentobarbital during an execution attempt on September 30, 2026. Meanwhile, a separate Florida execution scheduled for the same October date remains active for 63-year-old James Robertson, who waived appeals after being convicted of murdering his cellmate at the Charlotte Correctional Institution in 2008.
Florida executed 19 people in the preceding year, marking the highest annual total since the state reinstated capital punishment in 1976. In July 2026, Florida became the first state in nearly a decade to execute two prisoners on a single day. State prosecutors have not yet announced whether they will request a new death warrant for Thompson.