Man executed in Florida for deadly capturing of police officer at visitors cease | EUROtoday

A person convicted of fatally capturing a police officer together with his personal service weapon throughout a visitors cease was executed Tuesday night in Florida. Billy Leon Kearse, 53, grew to become the third individual put to loss of life by the state this 12 months, following a report 19 executions in 2025.

Kearse was pronounced useless at 6:24 p.m. at Florida State Prison close to Starke, after receiving a three-drug injection. He had been condemned for the 1991 killing of Fort Pierce Police Officer Danny Parrish.

Court information element that Officer Parrish had stopped Kearse in January 1991 for driving the unsuitable manner on a one-way road. When Kearse failed to supply a sound driver’s license, Parrish ordered him out of his automobile and tried to handcuff him, resulting in a wrestle.

During the altercation, Kearse seized Parrish’s firearm and fired 14 instances, placing the officer 9 instances within the physique and 4 instances in his physique armor, in accordance with prosecutors. A taxi driver, listening to the photographs, used the officer’s radio to name for assist. Parrish died after being rushed to a hospital. Police subsequently used license plate info, which Parrish had relayed throughout the cease, to arrest Kearse at his residence.

Kearse was initially convicted of first-degree homicide and theft with a firearm and sentenced to loss of life in 1991. The Florida Supreme Court later discovered the trial courtroom failed to offer jurors sure details about aggravating circumstances and ordered a brand new sentencing. Kearse once more drew the loss of life penalty in 1997.

A complete of 47 folks have been executed within the U.S. in 2025. Florida led the best way with a flurry of loss of life warrants signed by Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis, far outpacing Alabama, South Carolina and Texas which every held 5 executions final 12 months. The 19 Florida executions that 12 months outstripped the earlier excessive totals of eight in each 1984 and 2014.

Besides the three Florida executions up to now this 12 months, Texas and Oklahoma have every executed one individual every to this point in 2026.

Two extra Florida executions are scheduled quickly, beginning with Michael Lee King on March 17 for the 2008 kidnap and killing of a mom of two. Former police officer James Duckett is ready to be executed March 31 for the 1987 killing of an 11-year-old lady.

All Florida executions are carried out through deadly injection utilizing a sedative, a paralytic and a drug that stops the guts, in accordance with the Department of Corrections.

Hours earlier than Tuesday’s execution, the U.S. Supreme Court rejected Kearse’s ultimate attraction with out remark. And final week, the Florida Supreme Court denied appeals filed by Kearse