Florida executes Vietnam veteran William Reaves for 1986 deputy murder

Florida executed William Reaves, a 77-year-old Vietnam veteran, by lethal injection on October 20 for the 1986 murder of Indian River County Deputy Richard Raczkoski, according to reports from NBC News and the Tallahassee Democrat.

Reaves was convicted of shooting Deputy Raczkoski outside a Vero Beach convenience store after a struggle over a gun that fell from Reaves' shorts. The deputy died from his wounds later that morning.

Despite appeals from over 100 military veterans urging Governor Ron DeSantis to halt the execution due to Reaves' combat-related PTSD, the execution proceeded. Reaves' attorneys argued that the jury never heard about his PTSD diagnosis, which the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs rated as 100% disabling, as reported by USA Today.

The U.S. Supreme Court denied Reaves' final appeal, which sought to present mitigating evidence not considered during his trial. Reaves admitted guilt but argued the murder was not premeditated.

Florida's execution rate has increased under Governor DeSantis, with the state carrying out more than half of the 32 executions in the U.S. this year. Another execution is scheduled for November 5, which could tie Florida's record of 19 executions in a single year set in 2025, NBC News reports.