Florida Governor Ron DeSantis signed a death warrant on July 17, 2026, officially setting an execution date for death row inmate William Frances Silvia Jr. The scheduled execution is set to take place on Tuesday, August 18, 2026, at 6:00 p.m. at the Florida State Prison in Raiford. This legal milestone follows a long judicial process involving the conviction of Silvia for the fatal shooting of his estranged wife and the attempted murder of her mother during a family gathering.
A Tragic Family Cookout
The case stems from events on September 22, 2006, in Seminole County. According to a case summary provided by Attorney General James Uthmeier, Silvia purchased a 12-gauge shotgun and ammunition earlier that afternoon. He later traveled to his mother-in-law’s home where his wife was living and where the family was hosting a cookout.
After an attempt to reconcile with his estranged wife failed, Silvia retrieved the shotgun from his truck. The summary states that he shot Betty Woodard in the face, causing severe injuries, before shooting Patricia Silvia in the head, resulting in her death. Following his arrest, Silvia spoke to a transporting officer about the motive behind the violence.
"That’s the reason I’m in this situation. My wife spent all my money. I placed the checking account in her name. She started re-dating her ex-husband. That is the reason I shot her," Silvia stated, according to reports from the time of his arrest.
Legal History and Final Appeals
The legal proceedings for this case spanned nearly two decades. During a 2008 trial in the Eighteenth Judicial Circuit, a Seminole County jury recommended a death sentence by a vote of 11 to 1. On January 28, 2009, Circuit Judge Donna L. McIntosh sentenced Silvia to death for first-degree murder and imposed a concurrent life sentence for attempted first-degree murder.
The Florida Supreme Court originally affirmed the conviction and death sentence on direct appeal in 2011. Although a postconviction court temporarily vacated the death sentence in 2017 based on rulings regarding jury unanimity rules, the state supreme court reversed that order and reinstated the death sentence in 2018.
Subsequent appeals have been denied, including a federal motion dismissed in March 2024. A legal sufficiency review by the Attorney General’s office confirmed there are currently no stays of execution in place, leading DeSantis to designate a one-week window from August 18 to August 25 for the sentence to be carried out.
