Executed Florida Inmate’s Final Words to Fellow Death Row 'Brothers' Draw Attention

A convicted felon, Chadwick Scott Willacy, was executed on April 21 by the State of Florida. The man was convicted of murder and several other felonies, making him the fifth person to be executed in Florida this year, highlighting the growing number of executions being carried out.

Before the execution, Willacy offered an apology to his family and friends, urging his “brother on the row” to remain strong.

A 58-year-old man from Florida, identified as Chadwick Scott Willacy, was executed on April 21 with a lethal injection. Willacy was administered a three-drug lethal injection at 6 p.m. at Florida State Prison in Bradford County. Consistent with all Florida executions, Willacy was put to death using a sedative, a paralytic agent and a drug designed to stop the heart.

Willacy was pronounced dead at 6:15 p.m. on April 21.

Willacy woke up at 5 a.m. and remained cooperative as the hour of his execution approached, the Department of Corrections spokesperson Jordan Krikland said in an interview with the Associated Press.

Throughout the day, Willacy received visits from his mother, two sisters, and a cousin. However, Willacy declined to meet with a spiritual advisor before the lethal injection.

The curtain to the execution chamber was raised promptly at the scheduled time, and the lethal injection commenced two minutes later, following a brief statement from Willacy.

Insisting on his innocence, he reiterated that he would never have harmed his friend, according to reports by the Mirror US.

“To the victim's family, I hope this brings you peace. If it doesn’t, that’s good,” Willacy said. “But this is not right,” he added.

Shortly after the lethal injection was given, a warden attempted to rouse Willacy by shaking him and calling out his name, but received no response. His complexion started to turn ashen, and a medical professional subsequently entered the chamber and pronounced him dead.

Willacy received a death sentence in 1991, one year after his conviction of murder. A jury later found Willacy guilty of first-degree murder, burglary, robbery, and arson. A judge sentenced him to death at the recommendation of the jury. His death sentence was later vacated, but a jury in 1997 again recommended his execution, and another judge agreed.

Willacy has pleaded not guilty from the very beginning. He has always denied committing the murder, and his request for a stay of the execution from the U.S. Supreme Court is pending because Florida's lethal injection process is shrouded in secrecy.