Florida governor halts execution of 74-year-old death-row inmate diagnosed with dementia

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis cancelled the death warrant for William Thompson, a 74-year-old inmate who had been on death row since 1989 for the 1976 torture murder of Sally Ivester. The withdrawal came after medical experts diagnosed Thompson with advanced dementia, rendering him unable to comprehend his impending execution, a circumstance protected by the Eighth Amendment. Attorney Brittney Lacy filed an emergency petition, noting Thompson’s inability to recall basic facts such as one outlet president and his severe physical weakness.

Neuropsychologist Robert Ouaou affirmed that Thompson’s cognitive decline meets the legal standard for insanity. The governor’s letter to prison warden Randall Polk gave no explanation, but the move was praised by groups like Floridians for Alternatives to the Death Penalty, which said carrying out the execution would violate constitutional and humane standards.