Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis withdrew the execution order for death-row inmate William Lee Thompson on Thursday, halting a lethal injection that had been set for Tuesday at Florida State Prison. The decision came after a neuropsychologist's evaluation concluded that Thompson, 74, lacks the mental capacity to understand why he is being executed, according to FOX 13 Tampa Bay.
Health concerns prompt last-minute reversal
DeSantis sent a letter Thursday afternoon to Florida State Prison Warden Randall Polk rescinding the death warrant he had signed on September 11. Defense attorneys had quickly raised alarms about Thompson's deteriorating physical and mental health, citing severe dementia and heart failure. A September 15 evaluation by a neuropsychologist found Thompson believed former President George W. Bush was still in office and did not recognize he was on death row.
In response, DeSantis established a three-member psychiatric panel under Executive Order 26-192 to assess whether Thompson was legally insane. The panel examined Thompson on October 1 and was directed to submit findings the following day. Hours before the governor withdrew the warrant, the Florida Supreme Court had denied Thompson's request for a stay of execution.
Decades-long legal history
Thompson's case stretches back nearly five decades. On March 30, 1976, Thompson and co-defendant Rocco Surace were staying in a Dade County motel room with Barbara Savage and Sally Ivester. According to court records, Thompson and Surace instructed the women to call their families for money. When Ivester could only obtain $25, she was taken to a bedroom and subjected to a prolonged assault involving a chain-link belt, a nightstick, a chair leg, and burns from cigarettes and lighters. She died of internal bleeding and multiple injuries. Savage testified she feared for her life if she attempted to leave during the attack.
Thompson was arrested April 1, 1976, and initially pleaded not guilty. He later changed his plea to guilty on charges of first-degree murder, kidnapping, and sexual battery, receiving a death sentence in June 1976. The Florida Supreme Court reversed that judgment in 1977, allowing him to withdraw the plea. He pleaded guilty again in September 1978 and received a second death sentence. Subsequent governors — Bob Graham in 1982 and Bob Martinez in 1987 — signed death warrants that were stayed or vacated by courts. A 1989 resentencing jury recommended death by a 7-5 vote, and the trial judge reinstated the penalty. Surace, whose sentence was reduced to second-degree murder after Thompson claimed responsibility, died in prison in 1993.
Advocates warn of broader systemic risks
Grace Hanna, executive director of Floridians for Alternatives to the Death Penalty, connected the Thompson case to a failed execution in Tennessee last month. Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee halted all executions and ordered an independent investigation after state officials were unable to carry out the execution of Christa Pike on September 30. Advocates warned that Florida could face a similar scenario given Thompson's compromised veins and terminal health conditions. Thompson's defense team has filed a federal lawsuit seeking adequate medical treatment for his cognitive and physical ailments.
What happens next
State officials have not released the psychiatric panel's findings or explained the specific reason for withdrawing the warrant. It remains unclear whether prosecutors will seek a new execution date or pursue civil court proceedings to address Thompson's medical needs. Meanwhile, a second inmate, 63-year-old James Robertson, remains scheduled for execution Tuesday at Florida State Prison. Robertson was convicted of the 2008 murder of his cellmate, Frank Hart, at Charlotte Correctional Institution.
Why it matters
The withdrawal underscores the legal and ethical complexities of executing inmates with severe cognitive impairments. The U.S. Supreme Court has held that executing a person who cannot rationally understand the reason for their punishment violates the Eighth Amendment. Thompson's case also highlights the prolonged timeline of capital cases in Florida — nearly 50 years since the crime — and the growing scrutiny of execution protocols nationwide after botched procedures in other states. For the Bangladeshi diaspora and global readers, the case illustrates how democratic legal systems grapple with the intersection of mental health, aging prison populations, and irreversible punishment.