Overview
- Gov. Ron DeSantis signed a letter on Thursday withdrawing the death warrant for William Lee Thompson, who had been scheduled for execution next Tuesday.
- DeSantis had ordered a three-psychiatrist panel under Executive Order 26-192 to evaluate whether Thompson was legally insane, but officials have not released the panel’s report or explained the withdrawal.
- Defense filings and a neuropsychologist’s September evaluation say Thompson shows profound cognitive impairment and dementia and lacks the capacity to understand his pending execution.
- Thompson remains on Florida’s death row and could face a new warrant in the future while his lawyers pursue a federal lawsuit seeking adequate medical care for his serious physical and cognitive illnesses.
- The decision follows heightened scrutiny of executions after a recent failed lethal injection in Tennessee and spotlights how executive discretion, psychiatric review, and prison medical care intersect in late-stage capital cases.