DeSantis withdraws death warrant for 74-year-old Florida inmate

Ron DeSantis withdrew William Lee Thompson's death warrant on Oct. 8, 2026, canceling the 74-year-old's Oct. 13 execution for the 1976 killing of Sally Ivester, 23. DeSantis signed the warrant Sept. 11. The Florida Supreme Court denied a stay hours before the withdrawal. James Robertson remains set for execution the same day for a 2008 cellmate murder. Florida has executed 16 people in 2026, the most of any state. DeSantis gave no reason in his letter to Warden Randall Polk. Grace Hanna said Thompson did not know where he was, stated that 'Bush' was the president, and at times did not recognize he had been sentenced to death. Executive order 26-192 cited counsel's claim that a neuropsychologist who met Thompson on Sept. 15 opined he meets insanity criteria due to dementia and cognitive decline. It said he lacks capacity to understand his execution and its reason. A psychiatric panel examined him Oct. 1; results due Oct. 2 were not made public. Thompson's counsel filed a federal lawsuit seeking medical care. The withdrawal went unexplained.