DeSantis withdraws death warrant for elderly inmate days before execution

DeSantis withdraws death warrant for first time, calling off execution

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) is withdrawing a death warrant for the first time since he became governor, calling off the execution of 74-year-old William Lee Thompson following the botched execution of Tennessee inmate Christa Pike. DeSantis’s letter to Florida State Prison Warden Randall Polk blocks Thompson’s scheduled execution by lethal injection. In the letter,…

Oct 9, 2026

DeSantis withdraws death warrant for elderly inmate days before execution

Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL) withdrew the death warrant for an elderly inmate before he was set to be executed by lethal injection next week. DeSantis did not say why he revoked the death penalty for William Thompson, 74, in a signed letter on Thursday, but the move is likely related to the fact that the […]

Oct 9, 2026