Florida Executes Man For Setting Neighbor On Fire During 1990 Burglary
Florida executed Chadwick Scott Willacy for a 1990 burglary in which his neighbor was set on fire. He was put to death by three-drug lethal injection at Florida State Prison near Starke at 6:15 p.m. on April 21, 2026. Willacy used his final statement to maintain his innocence and to tell the victim's family he hoped the outcome might bring them peace. The U.S. Supreme Court denied his final appeal without comment the afternoon of the execution, and the Florida Supreme Court had also rejected recent appeals.
Prosecutors said the 1990 attack involved binding the woman with wire and tape, attempted strangulation, disabling smoke detectors, dousing the house with gasoline and setting it aflame after placing a fan. An autopsy found she died of smoke inhalation. Investigators reported Willacy's fingerprints on a fan and a gas can, witness sightings of him near the victim, and recovery of her property and bloodstained clothes at his home.
The execution was Florida's fifth in 2026, following a record 19 executions in 2025 under Governor Ron DeSantis, underscoring the state's recent pace of capital punishment. Willacy's case has a long legal history: a 1990 jury's 9-3 recommendation for death, a 1994 resentencing ordered by the Florida Supreme Court, and a later jury's 11-1 recommendation for death.
Coverage shifted from announcing a scheduled execution to documenting the event and its context in detail. ABC initially reported the upcoming execution, and PBS supplied the minute-by-minute chamber account and noted the Supreme Court's denial of the last appeal. Fox News added investigative specifics about fingerprints, witness sightings, ATM withdrawals and recovered items, which sharpened the evidentiary picture presented at trial.
đź“Ś Key Facts
- Florida executed Chadwick Scott Willacy by a three-drug lethal injection at Florida State Prison near Starke on April 21, 2026; officials pronounced him dead at about 6:15 p.m. after a sequence in the chamber that began with the curtain rising at 6:00 p.m. and the injection starting at 6:02 p.m.
- Willacy used his final statement to maintain his innocence, telling the victim’s family, “To the victim’s family, I hope this brings you peace. If it does, that’s good. But this is not right,” and also addressed fellow death-row prisoners.
- The underlying crime occurred in 1990 during a burglary in which the victim was allegedly strangled or nearly strangled, bound with wire and tape, had smoke detectors disabled, was doused with gasoline and a fan placed to spread the fire; the victim’s autopsy found death by smoke inhalation.
- Investigators pointed to multiple pieces of evidence tying Willacy to the scene: his fingerprints were found on a fan and gas can, witnesses saw him near and in the victim’s car, ATM withdrawals were made after the incident, the victim’s check register was reportedly found in his trash by a girlfriend, and the victim’s property and bloodstained clothing were recovered at his home.
- Willacy’s sentencing history included an original jury recommendation of death by a 9-3 vote, a Florida Supreme Court-ordered resentencing in 1994, and a later jury recommendation of death by an 11-1 vote.
- State and federal courts denied his last appeals: the Florida Supreme Court rejected recent appeals, and the U.S. Supreme Court denied his final appeal without comment on the afternoon of the execution.
- The execution was Florida’s fifth of 2026 and came after a record 19 executions in the state in 2025 during Governor Ron DeSantis’s tenure.
đź“° Source Timeline (4)
Follow how coverage of this story developed over time
- Willacy's final statement included: 'To the victim’s family, I hope this brings you peace. If it does, that’s good. But this is not right,' maintaining his innocence.
- Article repeats the factual narrative of the crime with detail on the attack, ATM withdrawals, disabling smoke detectors, gasoline, fan placement, and autopsy finding of smoke inhalation as cause of death.
- Confirms investigative details: Willacy's fingerprints on the fan and gas can, witness sightings of him near and in the victim's car, girlfriend finding the victim's check register in his trash, and recovery of victim's property and bloodstained clothes at his home.
- Confirms that Florida executed Chadwick Scott Willacy by three-drug lethal injection at 6:15 p.m. on April 21, 2026, at Florida State Prison near Starke.
- Reports Willacy’s final statement, including his maintained claim of innocence and his remarks to the victim’s family and fellow death-row prisoners.
- Details the sequence inside the chamber, including the curtain rising at 6:00 p.m., injection starting at 6:02 p.m., and officials checking responsiveness before pronouncing death.
- Recounts specific facts of the underlying 1990 crime, including the attempted strangulation, binding with wire and tape, and autopsy finding that the victim died from smoke inhalation.
- Notes this is Florida's fifth execution in 2026 and places it in context of the state’s record 19 executions in 2025 under Governor Ron DeSantis.
- States that the U.S. Supreme Court denied Willacy's final appeal without comment on the afternoon of the execution; the Florida Supreme Court had also rejected recent appeals.
- Summarizes prior sentencing history, including the original 9-3 death recommendation, the 1994 Florida Supreme Court-ordered resentencing, and the later 11-1 jury recommendation for death.