Florida Executes Man For Setting Neighbor On Fire During 1990 Burglary
Florida executed Chadwick Scott Willacy on April 21, 2026, for setting his neighbor on fire during a 1990 burglary. State officials carried out the three-drug lethal injection at Florida State Prison near Starke and pronounced Willacy dead at 6:15 p.m. Officials said the curtain rose at 6:00 p.m., injections began at 6:02 p.m., and staff checked responsiveness before the death pronouncement. Willacy used his final statement to maintain his innocence, apologize to the victim's family and offer remarks to fellow death-row prisoners. The U.S. Supreme Court denied his final appeal that afternoon without comment, and Florida's high court had rejected earlier appeals.
Prosecutors say Willacy burst into the victim's home during the 1990 burglary, struck her with a blunt object and tried to strangle her. They say he bound her with wire and tape, used gasoline and set her on fire while disabling smoke detectors and placing a fan to spread flames. An autopsy found the victim died from smoke inhalation, indicating she was alive when the fire began, and also reported a skull fracture. Investigators linked Willacy to the scene through fingerprints on a fan and gas can, witness sightings near the home, ATM and check-register evidence, and recovery of the victim's property and bloodstained clothes at his residence. He was first sentenced after a jury recommended death 9-3, the Florida Supreme Court ordered resentencing in 1994, and a later jury returned an 11-1 recommendation for death.
The execution was Florida's fifth of 2026 and came after Florida led the nation with 19 executions in 2025, when the United States carried out 47 such sentences. Mainstream coverage shifted from reporting a scheduled execution and Willacy's protestations of innocence to confirming the death, chamber chronology and formal denials of last-minute appeals. Public reaction was visible on social media, where outlets such as CBS posted chamber timelines and Willacy's full final words, amplifying scrutiny of the case and the state's use of capital punishment. PBS and CBS provided the most detailed confirmations of the execution timeline and last statements, while outlets including Fox and ABC supplied investigative and background details relied on in court proceedings.
📌 Key Facts
- Florida executed Chadwick Scott Willacy by three-drug lethal injection at Florida State Prison near Starke on April 21, 2026; officials pronounced him dead at 6:15 p.m.
- Inside the chamber the curtain rose at 6:00 p.m., the injection began at 6:02 p.m., officials checked his responsiveness during the procedure, and death was pronounced at 6:15 p.m.
- Willacy’s final statement maintained his innocence, included an apology to the victim’s family, an insistence that he would never kill his friend, and remarks addressed to fellow death-row prisoners.
- In 1990, during a burglary of his neighbor’s home, the victim was struck with a blunt object (sustaining a skull fracture), an apparent strangulation attempt was made with a telephone cord, she was bound with wire and tape, then doused with gasoline and set on fire; the autopsy found smoke inhalation as the cause of death, indicating she was alive when set ablaze.
- Investigators cited forensic and circumstantial evidence linking Willacy to the crime, including his fingerprints on a fan and gas can, witness sightings near and in the victim’s car, his girlfriend finding the victim’s check register in his trash, and recovery of the victim’s property and bloodstained clothing at his home.
- His sentencing and appeals history includes an initial 9-3 jury recommendation for death, a Florida Supreme Court-ordered resentencing in 1994, a 1995 resentencing with an 11-1 jury recommendation for death, and recent appeals rejected by the Florida Supreme Court and the U.S. Supreme Court (the latter denying his final appeal without comment on the afternoon of the execution).
- The execution was Florida’s fifth in 2026; Florida led the nation with 19 executions in 2025 (47 executions nationwide that year), and another Florida execution (James Ernest Hitchcock) was scheduled for April 30, 2026.
📰 Source Timeline (6)
Follow how coverage of this story developed over time
- Confirms precise execution timeline in the chamber: curtain up at 6:00 p.m., injection beginning at 6:02 p.m., and death pronounced at 6:15 p.m.
- Includes Willacy's final statement in more complete form, including his apology to family and his insistence he would never kill his friend.
- Details the autopsy finding that Sather died from smoke inhalation, proving she was alive when she was set on fire.
- Reiterates crime specifics: skull fracture from blunt-force blow, binding with wire and tape, failed strangulation attempt with telephone cord, and use of gasoline.
- Restates procedural history: Florida Supreme Court-ordered resentencing in 1994 and 1995 resentencing with an 11-1 jury recommendation for death.
- Adds national context on executions in 2025, noting 47 U.S. executions and Florida leading with 19, plus upcoming April 30 execution of James Ernest Hitchcock.
- 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.