Man convicted of killing a traveling salesman becomes first person executed in Florida this year

STARKE, Fla. (AP) — A antheral convicted of sidesplitting a traveling salesman helium and his member had met astatine a barroom has go the archetypal idiosyncratic executed successful Florida this year.

Ronald Palmer Heath, 64, was pronounced dormant astatine 6:12 p.m. Tuesday pursuing a three-drug injection astatine Florida State Prison adjacent Starke. Heath was convicted of first-degree murder, robbery with a deadly limb and different charges successful the 1989 sidesplitting of Michael Sheridan.

When the curtain to the execution enclosure went up astatine the scheduled 6 p.m. commencement time, Heath was already strapped down with an IV inserted successful his arm. Asked by the warden if Heath had immoderate last statement, helium said, ”I’m sorry. That’s each I tin say. Thank you.”

As the drugs were being administered, Heath showed small outward reaction, closing his eyes and past appearing to autumn dormant earlier becoming motionless. A medic was called successful astir 8 minutes aft the drugs began, and Heath was declared dormant 2 minutes aft that.

It was the state’s archetypal execution of 2026 and followed a grounds 19 executions successful Florida past year. Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis oversaw much executions successful a azygous twelvemonth successful 2025 than immoderate different Florida politician since the decease punishment was reinstated successful the U.S. successful 1976. The erstwhile Florida grounds was 8 executions acceptable successful 2014.

According to tribunal records, Heath and his member Kenneth Heath met Sheridan astatine a Gainesville barroom successful May 1989. After hanging retired astatine the barroom for immoderate time, the 3 men agreed to spell determination other to fume marijuana.

At immoderate point, the brothers plotted to rob the different man, investigators said. Ronald Heath drove the radical to a distant area, wherever Kenneth Heath pulled a handgun connected Sheridan. The antheral initially refused to springiness the brothers anything, and Kenneth Heath changeable Sheridan successful the chest.

As Sheridan emptied his pockets, Ronald Heath began kicking the antheral and stabbing him with a hunting knife, prosecutors said. Kenneth Heath past changeable Sheridan doubly successful the head.

The brothers dumped Sheridan's assemblage successful a wooded country and returned to the Gainesville barroom to instrumentality items from his rental car, according to the tribunal record. It said the brothers made aggregate purchases with Sheridan's recognition cards the adjacent time astatine a Gainesville mall.

Ronald Heath was arrested respective weeks aboriginal astatine his location successful Douglas, Georgia, aft investigators connected him to the stolen recognition cards. Officers recovered covering purchased with the stolen cards, arsenic good arsenic Sheridan's watch, according to tribunal records.

Kenneth Heath was besides charged with Sheridan's murder, but was sentenced to beingness successful situation arsenic portion of a plea agreement.

The Florida Supreme Court denied appeals filed by Ronald Heath past week. His attorneys had argued that Florida corrections officials had mismanaged its ain decease punishment protocols, that the state's secretive clemency process blocked owed process, that Heath's incarceration arsenic a juvenile stunted his encephalon improvement and that jurors did not urge the decease punishment unanimously.

On Tuesday morning, the U.S. Supreme Court denied Heath's appeal.

A full of 47 radical were executed successful the U.S. successful 2025. Florida led the mode with a flurry of decease warrants signed by DeSantis. Alabama, South Carolina and Texas tied for 2nd with 5 executions each that year.

Two much Florida executions person already been scheduled for aboriginal this period and adjacent month. Melvin Trotter, 65, is scheduled to dice connected Feb. 24, and the execution of Billy Leon Kearse, 53, is acceptable to travel precisely a week aboriginal connected March 3.

All Florida executions are carried retired via lethal injection utilizing a sedative, a paralytic and a cause that stops the heart, according to the Department of Corrections.

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