Florida Set to Record Highest Executions in a Year

A Florida resident convicted of a 1994 triple murder is scheduled for execution today, marking the ninth such event in 2025—a record for the state. Two more executions are planned for later this month.

Governor Ron DeSantis, a Republican, has signed the death warrant for Edward Zakrzewski, aged 60. Zakrzewski will face lethal injection at Florida State Prison this evening, after the U.S. Supreme Court denied his last appeal.

Previously, the largest number of executions in Florida occurred in 2014, with eight executions following the reinstatement of the death penalty in 1976. This year, Florida leads the nation, surpassing Texas and South Carolina.

Zakrzewski, once serving in the Air Force, was convicted for murdering his wife and children in response to his wife's divorce request, according to court testimony. The gruesome attack took place in their Panhandle residence.

The trial revealed that Sylvia, his wife, was initially attacked and strangled. Their young children, Edward and Anna, were subsequently killed with the machete. Zakrzewski believed his wife might have survived and struck her again.

There is opposition to the execution highlighting Zakrzewski's military service and the fact that his execution was recommended by a narrow margin jury decision of 7-5, which would not result in execution under today's state laws.

Activists, led by The Action Network, have called upon the public to urge the Governor's office to reconsider, arguing that the death penalty does not enhance public safety and adds violence.

Counsel for Zakrzewski have pursued multiple appeals over the years without success. So far, 26 executions have occurred across the U.S. in 2025, with 11 more planned in other states.

Florida's most recent execution occurred last month when Michael Bernard Bell was put to death. Recently, warrants for future executions have been issued, indicating an ongoing trend.

Gov. DeSantis has approved another execution for Kayle Bates, tied to a decades-old murder, and Curtis Windom, convicted of a 1992 triple murder, slated for later this month.

Florida employs a three-drug method for executions, involving a sedative, paralytic, and a chemical to stop the heart, as per the state’s correctional authorities.