Florida is scheduled to execute William Reaves Jr. at 6 p.m. tonight, marking the state’s 18th execution this year and pushing it closer to a modern record.
At a Glance
- Governor Ron DeSantis signed the death warrant on September 18, scheduling execution for October 20, 2026, at Florida State Prison.
- Reaves, 77, was convicted and sentenced to death in 1992 for killing Indian River County Deputy Sheriff Richard Raczkoski in 1986.
- Courts reviewed the case across direct appeal, state postconviction, and federal habeas proceedings.
- Florida’s 18th execution this year underscores the state’s accelerated capital punishment pace.
Warrant, schedule, and legal footing are locked in
The official record states that Governor Ron DeSantis signed a death warrant for William Reaves Jr. on September 18, 2026. The warrant set the execution for 6 p.m. on October 20 at Florida State Prison in Raiford. United States Supreme Court filings tie the warrant to Reaves’s 1992 conviction and death sentence for the 1986 murder of Indian River County Deputy Sheriff Richard Raczkoski. Local coverage reported the same date, time, and place, aligning with the court documents.
Florida prosecutors told the United States Supreme Court that Reaves confessed in the case, placing that claim squarely within the state’s argument against a last-minute stay. The available filings identify the victim by name and date and trace the judgment to the 1992 sentencing that followed an earlier reversal in 1987 due to a prosecutor conflict of interest, a detail later reporting highlighted for context. The court record lists the legal basis as first-degree murder of a law enforcement officer.
Decades of review and the final sprint
The state’s brief to the United States Supreme Court says Reaves completed his direct appeal, initial state postconviction proceedings, and federal habeas case, including appeal. That posture places the matter in the narrow zone where warrants issue and litigation compresses into emergency filings. Defense counsel sought a stay at the Florida Supreme Court and the United States Supreme Court. Those late appeals did not cancel the schedule but could affect timing; such caveats are common near an execution window.
The filing history shows the sentence survived ordinary review. That aligns with how capital cases move once state and federal courts resolve the core claims. American conservative values hold that when a jury verdict and sentence withstand decades of scrutiny, the state has a duty to carry out lawful judgments. The case also centers on the murder of a deputy, where deterrence and officer safety weigh heavily in public safety policy.
The crime, the victim, and the record’s consistency
Court documents identify the victim as Deputy Sheriff Richard Raczkoski, killed on September 23, 1986, in Indian River County. The filings fix the name and date, which matter because some reporting outside the court record has misspelled the deputy’s surname. The 1992 conviction and sentence reflect the proceedings after the earlier reversal tied to a conflict in the prosecutor’s office, not a finding of innocence. The state’s filing asserts that Reaves confessed; the brief does not detail the medium or recipient of that confession.
MIAMI (AP) — Florida is set Tuesday to carry out its 18th execution of the year under Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis ’ aggressive use of the death penalty in his final term. William Reaves, 77, was s… pic.twitter.com/SOw8L3wYJU
— KSAN News (@ksannews) October 20, 2026
Supporters of the victim’s family often focus on the long gap between the crime and punishment. Forty years have nearly passed since the deputy’s murder, and that span has a cost. Witnesses age, families wait, and the signal to would-be cop killers can blur. When law is clear, evidence is tested, and courts rule, justice should not drift far past memory. Lawful punishment protects civil order and shows that the badge still carries weight.
Florida’s larger arc on executions this year
Florida has moved faster on executions than any other state in recent years, with 2025 and 2026 showing the steepest pace in the country. News outlets reported that tonight’s execution would be the state’s 18th of 2026, a count approaching levels rarely seen since the modern era began. That tempo sits within a broader pattern in which Florida accounts for a large share of executions nationwide at points in the year, while many states record few or none.
Supporters of the policy argue that it restores credibility to capital punishment, especially for the murder of police officers. They say swifter, certain enforcement deters the worst crimes and respects juries and victims. Critics center on age, veteran status, or method, but the legal question here is narrow: whether a final, lawfully reviewed judgment should be carried out. On the record presented to the courts, the state says yes, and the schedule reflects that position.
Sources:
nbcnews.com, supremecourt.gov, wptv.com, independent.co.uk
