Billy Leon Kearse, 53, is set to receive a three-drug lethal injection beginning at 6 p.m. at Florida State Prison near Starke.<\/p>\n
Kearse was sentenced to death in 1991 after being convicted of first-degree murder and robbery with a firearm. The Florida Supreme Court later ruled that jurors were not properly instructed on aggravating circumstances and ordered a new sentencing hearing. He was resentenced to death in 1997.<\/p>\n
Kearse\u2019s execution would mark the state\u2019s third in 2026, following a record 19 executions in 2025.<\/p>\n
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Clouds hover over the entrance of the Florida State Prison in Starke, Fla., Aug. 3, 2023. (AP)<\/p>\n
Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis<\/a> signed more death warrants last year than any Florida governor since the death penalty was reinstated in 1976. Before that, the highest number in a single year was eight in 1984 and 2014 under governors Bob Graham and Rick Scott, respectively.<\/p>\n Court records show Fort Pierce Police Officer Danny Parrish stopped Kearse in January 1991 for driving the wrong way on a one-way street. After Kearse failed to produce a valid driver\u2019s license and resisted being handcuffed, a struggle broke out.<\/p>\n During the confrontation, Kearse grabbed Parrish\u2019s firearm and fired 14 shots, striking the officer<\/a> nine times and hitting his body armor four times, prosecutors said. A nearby taxi driver heard the gunfire and used Parrish\u2019s radio to call for help.<\/p>\n FLORIDA EXECUTES MAN CONVICTED OF KILLING AIRMAN AND GIRLFRIEND IN 1987 HOME INVASION<\/a><\/p>\n This photo shows a gurney used in giving lethal injections to convicted death row inmates. (Sue Ogrocki, File)<\/p>\n Parrish was taken to a hospital, where he died from his wounds.<\/p>\n Investigators used license plate information Parrish had radioed in before the struggle to identify Kearse\u2019s vehicle and home address. He was arrested shortly afterward.<\/p>\n Last week, the Florida Supreme Court denied Kearse\u2019s appeals<\/a>, in which his attorneys argued he was deprived of a fair penalty phase and that his intellectual disability made him ineligible for execution. The U.S. Supreme Court rejected his final appeal Tuesday without comment.<\/p>\n FLORIDA EXECUTES RICHARD BARRY RANDOLPH CONVICTED OF RAPING, KILLING FORMER CONVENIENCE STORE MANAGER<\/a><\/p>\n Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis. (Octavio Jones\/Getty Images)<\/p>\n A total of 47 people were executed in the U.S. last year. Florida carried out the most, outpacing Texas, South Carolina and Alabama, which each conducted five executions.<\/p>\n Two more executions are scheduled in Florida this month. Michael Lee King, 54, is set to be executed March 17. James Aren Duckett, 68, is scheduled for March 31.<\/p>\n CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP<\/a><\/p>\n Duckett, a former police officer, was convicted in 1987 of raping and murdering<\/a> 11-year-old Teresa McAbee. At the time, he was working for the Mascotte Police Department when McAbee was last seen getting into his patrol car outside a convenience store. Her body was later found less than a mile away in a lake. Authorities said she had been sexually battered, strangled and drowned.<\/p>\n The Associated Press contributed to this report.<\/p>\n![\"Gurney](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Strap.jpg\")
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