Florida executed 61-year-old William Francis Silvia by lethal injection on Tuesday for the 2006 murder of his estranged wife and the shooting of her mother.
The execution took place at Florida State Prison near Starke, where Silvia was pronounced dead at 6:11 p.m. after being administered a three-drug lethal injection combination.
The execution marks the 13th prisoner put to death in Florida since the start of 2026, as Republican Governor Ron DeSantis continues an intensive application of capital punishment during his final term in office.
When the execution chamber curtain opened at 6:00 p.m., Silvia was already strapped to a gurney with an intravenous line inserted in his arm. A priest sat at his feet in prayer while Silvia remained largely motionless with his eyes and mouth open throughout most of the procedure.
When asked if he wished to make a final statement, Silvia said that he was sorry for everything that happened, claiming that the incident was an accident and that he had never intended to hurt her.
Correctional officials administered the lethal chemicals shortly after his statement. A prison warden shook Silvia by the shoulder and called out his name to test for consciousness, receiving no response before a physician declared him dead.
Details of the 2006 Shooting
Silvia was convicted of first-degree murder and attempted first-degree murder for an attack in 2006 that resulted in the death of his estranged wife, Patricia Silvia, and wounded her mother, Betty Woodard.
According to court records, Patricia Silvia had left their shared residence two months prior to the attack and was living at her mother's home in the Orlando area.
Authorities reported that Silvia purchased a shotgun and traveled to his mother-in-law's house while the family was gathering for an outdoor barbecue. Following an unsuccessful attempt to reconcile with his wife, Silvia walked back to his truck, retrieved the firearm, and shot both women.
Family Statements and Legal Appeals
Following the execution on Tuesday, Patricia Silvia's sister, Pamela Wyatt, spoke about the profound toll the murder had taken on their family over the past two decades.
Wyatt said that nothing happening on Tuesday could return those lost years, adding that no execution could bring Patricia back to her children or grant her the chance to meet the grandchildren she had dreamed of holding.
She emphasized that the day served as an opportunity for everyone to remember that her sister's life encompassed far more than the tragic act that ended it.
Silvia received his initial death sentence following a trial in 2008. Although he was later granted a temporary opportunity for a new sentencing proceeding, the Florida Supreme Court reinstated the death penalty in 2018 after noting that he had previously waived his post-conviction appeals.
Defense lawyers mounted a final appeal to stop the execution, contending that the Capital Collateral Regional Counsel, the state agency providing legal representation to death row inmates, could not deliver adequate assistance because it simultaneously represented another prisoner facing execution. The Florida Supreme Court rejected the petition.
Florida Execution Activity and Scheduled Cases
Silvia's execution reinforces Florida's status as the most active jurisdiction for capital punishment in the United States this year. The state has accounted for more than half of the 23 executions carried out nationwide in 2026.
Florida also led the nation in 2025, carrying out 19 of the 47 executions completed across the United States. That total marked a state record for the highest number of executions in a single calendar year since the reinstatement of capital punishment in 1976.
In July 2026, Florida became the first American state in nearly a decade to conduct a double execution, putting two condemned prisoners to death on the same day.
State authorities have scheduled two more executions for September. Harold Jean Lucas, 74, is scheduled to die on September 1 for the fatal shooting of a 16-year-old girl who rejected his romantic advances and for wounding two of her friends.
On September 10, Florida plans to execute 72-year-old Daniel Owen Conahan Jr., who was convicted of the kidnapping and strangulation of a man he had paid to pose nude. Law enforcement authorities also suspect Conahan of involvement in similar homicides in southwest Florida during the 1990s.
All executions in Florida are carried out using a standardized three-drug protocol consisting of a sedative, a paralytic agent, and a third drug that induces cardiac arrest.
