Mr. Thompson’s competency and access to medical care are being addressed in separate legal proceedings. This overview focuses on the claims raised in his September 19 postconviction motion filed in the circuit court in Miami-Dade county.

Florida plans to execute William “Bill” Thompson on October 13, 2026, for his role in the 1976 murder of Sally Ivester. Mr. Thompson’s co-defendant, Rocco Surace, committed the murder but received a life sentence.

Mr. Thompson has an intellectual disability and was described by people who knew him as easily manipulated and dominated by Surace. His original death sentence was overturned. At a later sentencing, the jury voted only 7–5 for death.

Mr. Thompson is now 74 years old and has spent approximately 50 years on death row. He is gravely ill, has dementia, and requires complete assistance with basic activities such as bathing, using the toilet, and moving between his bed and wheelchair.

His appeal raises two central issues: Florida denied him a meaningful clemency process, and carrying out a lethal-injection execution in his current physical condition would cause extraordinary suffering.

Florida denied Mr. Thompson a meaningful clemency process
Mr. Thompson had a clemency hearing in 1981, but the death sentence considered at that hearing was later overturned. He was sentenced to death again years later, but he has never received a clemency interview or hearing for the sentence Florida now intends to carry out.

Despite this, the State informed his attorneys that clemency had already been denied.

This means the Clemency Board never heard the full story of Mr. Thompson’s intellectual disability, childhood abuse, vulnerability to his co-defendant, dementia, or severe medical decline. It also never considered that the jury recommending his current death sentence was divided 7–5.

Clemency is intended to provide one final opportunity to consider circumstances that the courts have not fully addressed. Mr. Thompson’s attorneys argue that Florida denied him that opportunity entirely.

No court has fully considered his intellectual disability
Evidence of Mr. Thompson’s intellectual disability has existed for decades. He had an IQ of approximately 75, was recommended for special education, and was consistently described as a follower who was easily influenced by others.

Mr. Thompson sought relief after the U.S. Supreme Court prohibited the execution of people with intellectual disabilities. Florida initially denied his claim using a rigid IQ cutoff that the U.S. Supreme Court later found unconstitutional.

In 2016, the Florida Supreme Court ordered a full hearing on Mr. Thompson’s intellectual disability. That hearing never happened. After the court changed its rules about which older cases could benefit from the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision, Mr. Thompson’s hearing was canceled.

His attorneys argue that substantial evidence shows he is intellectually disabled and constitutionally ineligible for execution, but no court has ever considered all of that evidence together.

Lethal injection would cause him extraordinary suffering
Mr. Thompson has heart failure, chronic kidney disease, severe liver disease, blood clots in both lungs, pneumonia, severe malnutrition, dementia, broken ribs, and a stage-four pressure wound on his tailbone. He recently underwent abdominal surgery and now has a colostomy.

He cannot walk or move himself without assistance. Florida’s execution process would require prison staff to lift him from his wheelchair, place him on the execution gurney, and strap him flat on his back despite the open wound on his tailbone.

His fragile veins and severe swelling would also make it difficult to establish the two intravenous lines required for lethal injection. Recent medical records describe failed attempts to place an IV. More invasive methods could cause uncontrolled bleeding or other dangerous complications because Mr. Thompson takes blood-thinning medication and has severely compromised lungs.

Finally, his attorneys argue that Florida’s three-drug protocol would cause Mr. Thompson to experience suffocation and severe pain. Because of his existing lung disease, fluid around his lungs, blood clots, pneumonia, and broken ribs, the feeling of air hunger could be especially intense.

What happens next
Mr. Thompson’s attorneys are asking the court to stop the execution, hold a hearing on these claims, and vacate his convictions and sentences.

At the same time, separate proceedings are addressing his incompetency to be executed and Florida’s failure to provide him with appropriate medical and end-of-life care.