Florida executed a man Thursday who was convicted of fatally shooting a man and a woman during a home invasion robbery and later confessed to three additional killings, marking the state’s 19th execution of the year.
Frank Athen Walls, 58, received a three-drug injection at about 6 p.m. at Florida State Prison near Starke and was pronounced dead at 6:11 p.m. He was sentenced to death in 1988 after being convicted on two counts of murder, two counts of kidnapping, as well as burglary and theft charges.
The Florida Supreme Court later overturned the conviction and ordered a new trial. Walls was again convicted and sentenced to death in 1992.
The Associated Press reported that at 6 p.m., the curtain to the death chamber was raised. Walls was strapped to a gurney and largely covered by a blanket. His left arm was extended as an IV was administered. At the foot of the gurney, a Catholic priest sat with his right hand extended toward Walls’ lower leg.
Walls offered an apology in a brief statement, according to Alex Lanfranconi, a spokesperson for Gov. Ron DeSantis.
“Good evening, everyone,” Walls reportedly said. “I appreciate the opportunity to say what’s on my heart. If any of the members of the family are here, I am sorry for all of the things I did, the pain I caused and all of that you have suffered all these years.”
The execution began after Walls delivered the statement, with the priest remaining beside him and appearing to pray.
Court records show Walls broke into a mobile home in the Florida Panhandle belonging to Eglin Air Force Base airman Edward Alger and his girlfriend, Ann Peterson, in July 1987.
After they were tied up, Alger managed to break free and confront the attacker. As the airman fought back, Walls cut Alger’s throat and shot him in the head, then turned to Peterson and shot her as she struggled.
The day after the bodies were discovered, Walls was arrested after his roommate alerted police to his unusual behavior.
Investigators searched the home and reported finding items from the crime scene. Walls later confessed to the killings.
After his conviction, DNA evidence linked Walls to the May 1987 rape and murder of Audrey Gygi. He pleaded no contest, sparing himself another trial and a possible death sentence.
Walls also admitted responsibility for the killings of Tommie Lou Whiddon in March 1985 and Cynthia Sue Condra in September 1986 as part of an agreement with prosecutors.
His attorneys appealed the convictions in state court, arguing that he should be disqualified from execution due to his intellectual disability and other medical conditions. However, the Florida Supreme Court ruled against Walls last week.
The U.S. Supreme Court also denied his request for a stay of execution Thursday afternoon.
Walls woke up at about 5:10 a.m. Thursday and, according to Corrections Department spokesperson Jordan Kirland, remained compliant.
Officials did not say whether any family members of the victims attended the execution.
Forty-six men have been executed by court order so far in the U.S. this year, and more than a dozen others are scheduled to be put to death next year.
The Supreme Court reinstated the death penalty in 1976, and, since, then the most executions Florida had carried out in a single year was eight in 2014.
Florida has carried out more executions this year than any other state, followed by Alabama, South Carolina and Texas, with five each.
According to the Department of Corrections, Florida’s lethal injection protocol involves a sedative, a paralytic and a drug that stops the heart.