US3 min(s) read
Published 11:13 22 Apr 2026 GMT
A warden committed a chilling act after the execution of a death row inmate.
Chadwick Scott Willacy, 58, was executed on Tuesday evening (April 21) at Florida State Prison in Bradford County, marking the fifth execution in Florida this year.
Willacy received his death sentence in 1991, a year after he was convicted of murdering Marlys Sather. He was found guilty by a 9-3 jury recommendation of first-degree murder, burglary, robbery, and arson.
In September 1990, Marlys Sather returned to her Palm Bay, Florida, home during her lunch break to find Willacy burglarizing her residence, The Mirror reported.
In a shocking and violent encounter, the inmate struck Sather in the head with a blunt instrument, fracturing her skull, before binding her hands and ankles with wire and tape.
He then attempted to strangle her with a telephone cord, and when that failed, he covered her in gasoline and set her on fire.
An autopsy confirmed the victim died from smoke inhalation, indicating she was still alive when she was ignited.
Willacy then stole Sather's vehicle, other possessions, and used her ATM card to withdraw cash.
When Sather didn’t return from work, her employer contacted her family. Her son-in-law eventually discovered her body, and the gruesome crime led to Willacy’s arrest and subsequent conviction.
On Tuesday evening (April 21), the 58-year-old was executed by lethal injection.
Before he received a three-drug combination, Willacy expressed remorse to his family and friends, urging his "brothers on the row" to stay strong.
He also insisted on his innocence, claiming that he would never have killed his friend. "To the victim's family, I hope this brings you peace. If it does, that's good. But this is not right," he said.
After the drugs were administered, a haunting moment occurred when the warden shook Willacy and called out his name, but received no response.
His complexion began to turn gray, prompting a medical professional to enter the chamber and declare him dead at 6:15PM.
Willacy’s execution is part of a dramatic increase in executions across Florida.
In 2025, Governor DeSantis signed 19 death warrants, the highest total in the state since capital punishment was reinstated in 1976. This number surpasses the previous record of eight executions in 2014.
DeSantis has stated that his goal is to bring justice to victims’ families who have been waiting for death sentences to be carried out.
Florida's 19 executions in 2025 represented the highest number in the nation, with other states like Alabama, South Carolina, and Texas also seeing a rise in executions, PBS reported.
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