William Reaves, 77, was put to death in Florida on Tuesday, marking the state's 18th execution of the year. The procedure took place at Florida State Prison near Starke, where Reaves was pronounced dead at 6:12 p.m. following a three-drug injection. He faced a first-degree murder charge for the September 1986 shooting that killed Indian River County sheriff's deputy Richard Raczkoski.
Reaves did not offer last words before the procedure. Approximately 30 seconds after the injection began, he took several large breaths before stopping movement. A team warden later shook his shoulders and called his name without response, and a medic confirmed the absence of a heartbeat before pronouncing him dead. Marc Raczkoski, the victim's brother, stated that his brother finally received justice after witnessing the event. Indian River County Sheriff Eric Flowers described the execution as closure rather than justice, noting that Reaves died peacefully at an advanced age.
Court records indicate that on September 23, 1986, Deputy Raczkoski responded to a 911 call made by Reaves from a payphone at a Vero Beach convenience store. Upon arrival, a gun fell from Reaves' pants during their conversation. The two men struggled over the weapon until Reaves regained control and shot Raczkoski four times as the deputy attempted to flee. Raczkoski died from his wounds later that day.
Reaves was initially convicted and sentenced to death about a year after the shooting, but the Florida Supreme Court overturned that conviction due to a prosecutor conflict of interest. A second trial resulted in another death sentence, and subsequent appeals failed. The U.S. Supreme Court denied Reaves' request for a stay of execution on Tuesday without comment, while the Florida Supreme Court rejected final appeals last week. His attorneys had challenged the state's lethal injection protocol and argued that jurors were unaware of Reaves' status as a 100% disabled Army veteran with post-traumatic stress disorder linked to Vietnam War service.
Florida's execution pace has accelerated under Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis, who signed a flurry of death warrants since 2025. The state oversaw a record 19 executions last year, accounting for approximately 40% of the 47 total U.S. executions in 2025. Florida has carried out more than half of the 32 total executions in the country so far this year. If Jesse Guardado is executed as scheduled on November 5 for a 2004 murder and robbery, Florida would tie last year's single-year record.