DeSantis withdraws Florida death warrant for 74-year-old inmate with dementia

First warrant withdrawal in nearly eight years; Thompson has dementia

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis on Friday withdrew the death warrant for William Lee Thompson, a 74-year-old man who had been scheduled to be executed by lethal injection next Tuesday for the 1976 murder and kidnapping of Sally Ivester. The withdrawal is the first by DeSantis in his nearly eight years in office and comes as U.S. lethal injections face increased national and international scrutiny following the failed execution of Christa Pike in Tennessee just over a week ago.

DeSantis signed a letter on Thursday withdrawing the warrant, but provided no reason for the move. A spokesperson for the governor did not immediately return an email seeking comment. Thompson will remain on Florida’s death row, and a new death warrant could be signed for him in the future.

Thompson’s attorney, Bri Lacy, said they were relieved by the result. “Mr Thompson suffers from dementia and his health is failing — both of which were gravely concerning with an impending execution,” Lacy said in an email to the Associated Press. “Now that Mr Thompson is no longer under a death warrant, we hope FDOC [Florida Department of Corrections] will relocate him to an adequate medical facility and provide the care he needs.”

Grace Hanna, executive director of Floridians for Alternatives to the Death Penalty, said Thompson’s attorneys had told DeSantis that Thompson was “incompetent for execution due to his dementia.” Hanna said Thompson “did not know where he was, stated that ‘Bush’ was the president, and, at times, did not even recognize that he had been sentenced to death.” Thompson underwent a psychiatric evaluation under state law last week, but officials never released the findings or explained Friday’s withdrawal, according to Hanna.

DeSantis had temporarily stayed Thompson’s execution last month pending a psychiatric evaluation, though Florida prison officials continued preparing for a potential execution after that stay.

The Thompson withdrawal comes just over a week after the failed execution of Christa Pike in Tennessee. Pike, 50, survived two lethal injections on Sept. 30, was taken to a hospital and declared brain dead on Monday before waking up and beginning to speak on Tuesday. On Thursday, her lawyer said she was “up and walking” in hospital, but added that her arms were severely injured.

Adding to the national focus on state executions, the Pentagon this week announced it would livestream the execution by firing squad of Nidal Malik Hasan, who was sentenced to death for killing 13 people at Fort Hood in 2009.

A second Florida execution remains set for Tuesday. James Robertson, 63, is scheduled to be executed for the first-degree murder of Frank Hart, a fellow inmate, in 2008. Robertson waived all appeals and told investigators he killed Hart so he could be moved to death row.

Florida carried out 19 executions last year, a state record since the death penalty was reinstated in 1976. In July, Florida became the first state in nearly a decade to execute two prisoners in one day.