Florida Puts 77-Year-Old Vietnam Veteran to Death for 1986 Deputy Killing
Florida executed 77-year-old William Reaves Jr. by lethal injection on Tuesday, October 20, 2026, marking the state’s 18th execution of the year, AP News reported. Reaves was pronounced dead at 6:12 p.m. at Florida State Prison near Starke, following a three-drug protocol consisting of a sedative, a paralytic, and a heart-stopping drug. He was convicted of first-degree murder for the September 23, 1986, fatal shooting of 29-year-old Indian River County Sheriff’s Cpl. Richard Raczkoski outside a Vero Beach convenience store.
The execution brings Florida closer to tying its state record of 19 executions set in 2025. With Reaves’ death, Florida accounts for more than half of the 32 executions carried out nationwide in 2026, continuing an aggressive capital punishment push during the final term of Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis, who leaves office in January.
How the 1986 Convenience Store Shooting Unfolded
The case began in the early morning hours of September 23, 1986, when Cpl. Richard Raczkoski responded to a 911 call placed from a payphone outside a Zippy Mart convenience store in Vero Beach, according to court records cited by USA Today and AP News. Reaves later acknowledged that he had placed the call because he needed help getting a cab and did not want to go back to prison, having spent time behind bars since the early 1970s.
While the two men talked outside, a .38-caliber gun fell out of Reaves’ shorts. Investigators stated that the men struggled over the weapon, and Reaves regained control of it. As Raczkoski attempted to run away, Reaves shot him four times in the back. Prosecutors noted during trial that because the weapon was not automatic, Reaves had to pull the trigger for each shot. Raczkoski died from his wounds later that day. Reaves was arrested two days later in Albany, Georgia, and admitted to the shooting in a taped interview with Indian River County detectives, according to CBS12.
Florida carries out its 18th execution of the year, putting to death a 77-year-old Vietnam War veteran convicted of killing a sheriff’s deputy in 1986. pic.twitter.com/tNKePEbXus
Reaves was convicted and sentenced to death in 1987. However, the Florida Supreme Court overturned that conviction in 1991 because the prosecuting attorney had previously worked as a public defender and represented Reaves in 1973. A second jury convicted Reaves in 1992, voting 10-2 to recommend the death penalty, and subsequent appeals were unsuccessful.
Courts Reject Final Appeals for Reaves
Reaves’ attorneys exhausted their final appeals on Tuesday, October 20, 2026. The U.S. Supreme Court rejected his 11th-hour appeal that afternoon without comment, and the Florida Supreme Court rejected his state appeals the previous week, according to AP News and CBS12. Defense lawyers challenged Florida’s three-drug lethal injection protocol and argued that the jurors who recommended death in 1992 were never informed that the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs had rated Reaves as 100% disabled due to PTSD stemming from his Vietnam War service. More than 100 military veterans sent a letter to Gov. DeSantis on Monday, October 19, urging him to halt the execution.
When the death chamber curtain opened promptly at 6 p.m., Reaves was already strapped to a gurney with an intravenous line in his arm. Asked by the prison warden if he had any last words, Reaves replied, No, I do not,
according to AP News. The injection began immediately. Approximately 30 seconds later, Reaves took several deep breaths and stopped moving. The team warden shook his shoulders and called his name after a few minutes with no response. A medic checked for a heartbeat, and Reaves was pronounced dead at 6:12 p.m.
Witnesses offered contrasting reactions outside the prison. Marc Raczkoski, the deputy’s brother, told reporters that his brother finally got justice. However, Indian River County Sheriff Eric Flowers, who witnessed the procedure, voiced sharp disagreement with the peaceful nature of the execution. Would we all be so lucky to be 77 years old and to die so peacefully,
Flowers said at a post-execution briefing covered by AP News. That’s not justice in any way in my opinion.
Upcoming Executions in Florida and Nationwide
Reaves was the eighth Florida inmate over the age of 70 put to death in 2026, underlining a national trend toward an aging death-row population as Florida outpaces all other U.S. states in executions. Last year, Florida led the nation with 19 executions out of 47 total nationwide.
The state is positioned to tie that record next month. Jesse Guardado, 64, is scheduled to receive a lethal injection at Florida State Prison on November 5, 2026, for robbing and killing a woman in order to buy drugs in 2004. According to USA Today, three separate states—Indiana, Alabama, and Florida—have executions scheduled for November 5.
Florida executes a 77-year-old Vietnam War veteran convicted of killing a sheriff's deputy in 1986, marking the state's 18th execution this year. pic.twitter.com/sIHdYn8bt6
Frequently Asked Questions About the Case
Why did it take 40 years for the execution to happen?
Reaves was originally convicted in 1987, but the Florida Supreme Court overturned that verdict in 1991 due to a prosecutor’s prior conflict of interest. He was retried, convicted again, and resentenced to death in 1992, after which decades of state and federal appeals delayed the sentence until October 2026.
Who were the witnesses present at the execution?
According to CBS12, Reaves received five visitors on the day of his execution, including his brother, sister, nephew, friend, and spiritual advisor, and ate a final meal of crackers and juice. Official witnesses in the viewing room included Indian River County Sheriff Eric Flowers and Marc Raczkoski, the brother of the slain deputy.
What execution method does Florida use?
Florida carries out capital punishment via a three-drug lethal injection protocol consisting of a sedative, a paralytic, and a drug that stops the heart, according to the Florida Department of Corrections. Reaves’ attorneys unsuccessfully challenged this protocol in state courts prior to his execution.
More on Florida Supreme Court
Florida carried out its 18th execution of the year, where a man who killed a sheriff's deputy is put to death. https://t.co/BBC9ncXrPO
Florida puts 77-year-old man to death for a deputy’s killing https://t.co/iayh2BHJZq
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