For Immediate Release
October 12, 2026
Florida Set to Execute Man Who Said He Killed to Reach Death Row, Challenging Misconception that Death Penalty Deters Crime
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Florida is scheduled to execute James Robertson at noon on Tuesday, October 13, at Florida State Prison. His execution remains scheduled despite the withdrawal of William Lee Thompson’s death warrant, which had called for a second execution that evening. If completed, this will be Florida’s 17th execution of 2026. Floridians for Alternatives to the Death Penalty (FADP) and partners will be holding a series of vigils and demonstrations across the state.
Robertson was arrested before the age of 18 and spent the entirety of his adult life incarcerated. He pleaded guilty to the 2008 murder of his cellmate, Frank Hart, at Charlotte Correctional Institution. At the time, Robertson stated that he killed Hart to obtain a death sentence after years under restrictive prison conditions. His case raises deeply troubling questions about isolation, despair, and the use of execution as a means of escaping incarceration.
Robertson waived a jury sentencing recommendation and the presentation of mitigating evidence, seeking a death sentence. Although he sought to waive his direct appeal, the Florida Supreme Court conducted its required review and affirmed his conviction and sentence in March 2016. He subsequently waived postconviction proceedings and has chosen not to challenge his execution.
While there is no evidence indicating that the death penalty has a deterrent effect on crime, the concept of an individual committing a crime with the goal of being executed may seem novel. However, this phenomenon has been documented repeatedly since the return of the death penalty to America in 1976. A 1999 article titled “The Psychology of Suicide-Murder and the Death Penalty” identified at least 22 suspected cases of by “homicide as suicide,” and found “In this pattern of calculated, externally inflicted suicide, there is a danger in even just having the death penalty on the statute book in a state” (1999. Journal of Criminal Justice, 27(4), 361-370).
“Frank Hart deserved to be safe in state custody, and his loved ones deserve our compassion,” said Maria DeLiberato, Legal and Policy Director of Floridians for Alternatives to the Death Penalty. “When someone commits murder to try to secure his own execution, we have to confront the conditions that contributed to that decision and the reality that the existence of the death penalty may have caused the very violence it purportedly prevents. Florida has a responsibility to protect the people in its prisons and address the despair that can put their lives, and the lives of others, at risk.”
Gov. Ron DeSantis withdrew Thompson’s warrant on October 8 without explanation, following a competency evaluation, litigation over his medical care, and public appeals from more than 120 medical professionals. Officials have not released the evaluation’s findings. The withdrawal cancels his October 13 execution but leaves his death sentence in place.
FADP opposes all executions and continues to call for humane prison conditions and appropriate medical care for incarcerated people.
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