A man from Florida, Chadwick Scott Willacy, age 58, is set for execution on Tuesday evening, following a gruesome crime committed in 1990. Willacy was convicted of killing Marlys Sather, who discovered him burglarizing her home during her lunch break. The execution is scheduled to begin at 6 p.m. at Florida State Prison near Starke, utilizing a three-drug injection protocol.
According to court records, the incident occurred in September 1990 when Marlys Sather returned to her Palm Bay residence unexpectedly. Upon finding Willacy in the act of burglary, she was attacked. Willacy struck Sather in the head with a blunt object, resulting in a fractured skull, and subsequently bound her hands and ankles with wire and tape. Investigators revealed that Willacy attempted to strangle Sather with a telephone cord. When that failed, he resorted to a far more brutal method: dousing her in gasoline and setting her on fire. The autopsy confirmed that Sather died from smoke inhalation, suggesting she was still alive when she was ignited.
In addition to the murder, Willacy stole Sather’s car and several items from her home. He further exploited the situation by using her ATM card to withdraw cash. Alarmed by her absence, Sather’s employer contacted her family, leading her son-in-law to check on her and ultimately discover her lifeless body.
Initially sentenced to death in 1991, Willacy underwent a resentencing in 1995 after the Florida Supreme Court intervened in 1994, citing procedural errors during the trial. The second jury recommended the death penalty with an 11-1 vote, affirming the seriousness of the crimes committed. Over the years, Willacy has pursued multiple appeals, including last-minute attempts raising concerns about the state's execution protocol and public record requests that had not been satisfied.
This execution marks Florida's fifth of 2026, following a record-setting 19 executions the previous year. Under the administration of Republican Governor Ron DeSantis, the state experienced the highest number of executions in a single year since the death penalty was reinstated in 1976. The previous record was eight executions in 2014.
In addition to Willacy’s scheduled execution, another lethal injection is set for later in April 2026. James Ernest Hitchcock, age 70, is slated for execution on April 30, convicted of the murder of his 13-year-old niece, whom he brutally beat and choked to death.
Florida employs a lethal injection process that includes a sedative, a paralytic agent, and a drug intended to stop the heart, according to the Department of Corrections. As the date of execution approaches, Willacy's final appeals are pending before the U.S. Supreme Court, creating a tense atmosphere surrounding this high-profile case.
The broader context includes 47 executions across the United States in 2025, with Florida leading the nation in this regard. Alabama, South Carolina, and Texas each recorded five executions during the same period, emphasizing Florida's prominent position in capital punishment discussions in recent years.
