Florida carried out its 13th execution of the year on Tuesday evening with the death of William Frances Silvia, 61, who was convicted of fatally shooting his estranged wife and injuring his mother-in-law in 2006. The execution took place at Florida State Prison.
Silvia was pronounced dead at 6:11 p.m. after receiving a three-drug lethal injection. He was sentenced to death for the first-degree murder of his estranged wife, Patricia Silvia, and the attempted first-degree murder of his mother-in-law, Betty Woodard. According to court records, Silvia purchased a shotgun the same year he committed the crime and went to his mother-in-law's home in the Orlando area, where Patricia Silvia had been staying since the couple's separation two months prior. Witnesses stated that Silvia arrived during a family cookout, and after reconciliation attempts failed, he retrieved a shotgun from his truck and fired upon his wife and mother-in-law.
During his final words, Silvia expressed remorse, stating, "I'm sorry all this happened. It was an accident. I never meant to hurt her."
Patricia Silvia's sister, Pamela Wyatt, remarked after the execution that "nothing that happens today can give us those stolen years" and that "no execution can return Patricia to her children and give her the grandchildren she dreamed of knowing." She added that the day could be an opportunity to remember Patricia's life beyond the act that ended it.
Florida has conducted more than half of the nation's 23 executions in 2026, with two more scheduled for September. Last year, Florida led the country with 19 executions. Governor Ron DeSantis has been a vocal proponent of the death penalty, aiming to provide closure for victims' families. He has signed more death warrants than any previous Florida governor and, in 2023, signed legislation to include the death penalty as a possible punishment for convicted child sex abusers.
Florida's Department of Corrections utilizes a lethal injection protocol consisting of a sedative, a paralytic, and a drug to stop the heart for the execution of death row inmates.