Overview
- Gov. Ron DeSantis rescinded the execution order in a letter to the Florida State Prison warden on Thursday, canceling a death warrant that had set an execution for next week.
- Defense counsel and forensic neuropsychologist Robert Ouaou have reported that Thompson shows profound cognitive decline and lacks the mental capacity to understand his impending execution.
- DeSantis had ordered a three‑member psychiatric panel under Executive Order 26‑192 that examined Thompson on Oct. 1, but state officials have not released the panel’s findings.
- The Florida Supreme Court denied a last‑minute stay hours before the governor’s action and Thompson’s lawyers have filed a federal lawsuit seeking adequate medical treatment for his dementia and other illnesses.
- Withdrawing the warrant does not commute the sentence, so Thompson remains on death row and could face a future warrant, while the state’s handling of medical care and execution readiness is likely to draw more legal and public scrutiny.