Friends,
Today, Governor DeSantis signed another death warrant, scheduling James Robertson’s execution for October 13 at noon — the same day Florida plans to execute William “Bill” Thompson at 6 p.m. William Reaves remains scheduled for execution one week later, on October 20. This is the second time this year that Florida will attempt to kill two people in one day.
Three people. Two Tuesdays. And mounting warnings about what Florida is preparing to do.
As you likely saw, last night, Tennessee failed to execute Christa Pike. This follows Tennessee’s failed execution of Tony Carruthers, which I witnessed personally. I carry that experience with me as an attorney and as a human being. When a state attempts an execution and cannot complete it, so many people bear the consequences. Everyone responsible for the process has had opportunities to stop before it reaches that point.
Florida has that opportunity now.
Bill Thompson is gravely ill. He has suffered from sepsis, heart failure, pneumonia, blood clots, and severe malnutrition. He has dementia, recently underwent major abdominal surgery, and has a Stage IV pressure wound. He needs extensive assistance with basic daily care. His attorneys have gone to court seeking appropriate medical treatment and separately raised whether he is competent to be executed.
His body is already struggling to keep him alive. Florida is preparing to put it through an execution.
What happened in Tennessee should force an urgent reckoning here. Thompson’s medical conditions raise serious concerns about what could happen during an attempted lethal injection. The spectacle we have now seen twice in Tennessee could repeat in Florida. We have been warned, and there is still time to prevent it.
Instead, the governor has added another execution to the same day.
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With three executions scheduled in eight days, our small team is working urgently to coordinate advocacy, and make sure the public hears what Florida is preparing to do. Your donation helps us sustain that work and mobilize people across the state to speak out. Please give today. We are grateful to have you alongside us. |
James Robertson deserves our attention in his own right. So does William Reaves, a Vietnam veteran whose jury never heard the evidence of his PTSD. He asked to serve his country in Vietnam. Now Florida plans to execute him without his jury ever hearing how that service — and the PTSD it caused — shaped the worst moment of his life.
At FADP, we are working alongside legal teams, medical professionals, veterans, faith leaders, and families to bring these cases before the public and demand that the governor stop these executions. We also hold in our hearts the people who were murdered and the families who continue to live with their loss. Their grief deserves care and attention, whatever their views on the death penalty.
Please share our updates and help us keep each of these men’s circumstances in public view. The pace is overwhelming. We need you with us.
Onward,
Maria DeLiberato
Legal and Policy Director