Man Faces Execution In Florida As Legislators Debate Rollback Of Death Penalty Statute

Florida Gov. Ron Desantis has taken a stand against the unanimity required by state law to sentence criminal defendants to the death penalty. Now, tomorrow, Donald David Dillbeck is scheduled to become the 100th prisoner in Florida to be executed since Furman v. Georgia forced the reworking of death penalty procedure in all U.S. states in 1972. Desantis signed Dillbeck’s death warrant in January the same day he told the Florida Sheriff’s Association that death penalty verdicts shouldn’t be allowed to be “vetoed” by one juror. 

Since then, Florida Republicans have filed bills that would reverse amendments to state statute after Supreme Court Justices nearly-unanimously found that Florida’s sentencing scheme violated the Sixth Amendment Hurst v. Florida, and return the ability to overturn a jury’s ruling on the death penalty to Judges. Dan Sullivan combines the history of Dillbeck’s case with Florida officials’ moves on the death penalty in a detailed piece for the Tampa Bay Times. Unless something changes overnight, Dillbeck will be put to death via lethal injection on Thursday.