More than 30 years after the murder of a Fort Pierce Police Department officer, a man is set to be executed.On Thursday, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signed a death warrant for Billy Leon Kearse. Kearse, 53, was found guilty of shooting and killing Fort Pierce police Officer Danny Parrish during a traffic stop on Jan. 18, 1991.Kearse’s execution is scheduled for March 3 at 6 p.m.”With Gov. DeSantis’ courageous act, it is hoped that the Parrish family can finally find peace and repose,” Thomas Bakkedahl, the state attorney for the Nineteenth Judicial Circuit, said in a statement to WPBF 25 News Thursday evening.The 19th Judicial Circuit includes Martin, St. Lucie, Okeechobee and Indian River counties.“It’s bittersweet because I’m not an evil person. I don’t wish harm or death on anybody and to think that somebody is going to lose their life is not what I want, but at the same token, it gives me that closure of the final step that I’ve been fighting for, for years,” Mirtha Busbin, the widow of Officer Parrish, told WPBF 25 News on Thursday night.CLICK HERE TO READ THE DEATH WARRANTYour neighborhood: Local coverage from WPBF 25 NewsAccording to court documents, during the traffic stop, Kearse was ordered out of his vehicle by Officer Parrish and attempted to handcuff Kearse after Kearse did not produce a driver’s license.Kearse was traveling the wrong way on a one-way street. A scuffle occurred and Kearse grabbed Officer Parrish’s firearm and shot Parrish 13 times, including four bullets in Parrish’s bulletproof vest.Officer Parrish was taken to a hospital, where he died from the injuries sustained. A taxi driver, who was in the area and heard the shots, saw Kearse’s vehicle drive away. The taxi driver called for assistance on Officer Parrish’s radio.Kearse was convicted on Oct. 22, 1991, of first-degree murder and robbery with a firearm and was sentenced to death on March 24, 1997.Busbin, who works for the St. Lucie County Sheriff’s Office as a Victim Assistance, was informed of the governor’s signing on Thursday.”I got the call this afternoon from the Attorney General’s Office and, you know, I, automatically, normal reaction, start crying. I couldn’t believe it,” Busbin said.Working with the State Attorney’s Office and writing a number of letters to DeSantis, Busbin hoped DeSantis would sign the death warrant before the end of his final term. On Thursday evening, she finally got that confirmation.”I submitted everything, and I hadn’t heard back,” Busbin said. “And then when she called me this afternoon and told me, yeah, I was totally in shock. I was just like, ‘oh my gosh, it’s an answered prayer.'”Get the latest news updates with the WPBF 25 News app. You can download it here.
RAIFORD, Fla. —
More than 30 years after the murder of a Fort Pierce Police Department officer, a man is set to be executed.
On Thursday, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signed a death warrant for Billy Leon Kearse. Kearse, 53, was found guilty of shooting and killing Fort Pierce police Officer Danny Parrish during a traffic stop on Jan. 18, 1991.
Florida Department of Corrections
Billy Leon Kearse
Kearse’s execution is scheduled for March 3 at 6 p.m.
“With Gov. DeSantis’ courageous act, it is hoped that the Parrish family can finally find peace and repose,” Thomas Bakkedahl, the state attorney for the Nineteenth Judicial Circuit, said in a statement to WPBF 25 News Thursday evening.
The 19th Judicial Circuit includes Martin, St. Lucie, Okeechobee and Indian River counties.
“It’s bittersweet because I’m not an evil person. I don’t wish harm or death on anybody and to think that somebody is going to lose their life is not what I want, but at the same token, it gives me that closure of the final step that I’ve been fighting for, for years,” Mirtha Busbin, the widow of Officer Parrish, told WPBF 25 News on Thursday night.
Courtesy: Mirtha Busbin
From left: Fort Pierce Police Officer Danny Parrish and Mirtha Busbin.
CLICK HERE TO READ THE DEATH WARRANT
Your neighborhood: Local coverage from WPBF 25 News
According to court documents, during the traffic stop, Kearse was ordered out of his vehicle by Officer Parrish and attempted to handcuff Kearse after Kearse did not produce a driver’s license.
Kearse was traveling the wrong way on a one-way street.
A scuffle occurred and Kearse grabbed Officer Parrish’s firearm and shot Parrish 13 times, including four bullets in Parrish’s bulletproof vest.
Officer Parrish was taken to a hospital, where he died from the injuries sustained.
A taxi driver, who was in the area and heard the shots, saw Kearse’s vehicle drive away.
The taxi driver called for assistance on Officer Parrish’s radio.
Kearse was convicted on Oct. 22, 1991, of first-degree murder and robbery with a firearm and was sentenced to death on March 24, 1997.
Busbin, who works for the St. Lucie County Sheriff’s Office as a Victim Assistance, was informed of the governor’s signing on Thursday.
“I got the call this afternoon from the Attorney General’s Office and, you know, I, automatically, normal reaction, start crying. I couldn’t believe it,” Busbin said.
Working with the State Attorney’s Office and writing a number of letters to DeSantis, Busbin hoped DeSantis would sign the death warrant before the end of his final term.
On Thursday evening, she finally got that confirmation.
“I submitted everything, and I hadn’t heard back,” Busbin said. “And then when she called me this afternoon and told me, yeah, I was totally in shock. I was just like, ‘oh my gosh, it’s an answered prayer.'”
Get the latest news updates with the WPBF 25 News app. You can download it here.