Florida Governor Signs Death Warrant for Convicted Officer Killer

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis signed a death warrant on Thursday for Billy Leon Kearse, a man convicted of murdering a police officer during a traffic stop in Fort Pierce in 1991. This decision reflects DeSantis’s continued push for executions in the state, which set a modern-era record with 19 executions in 2025.

The warrant indicates that Kearse, aged 53, is scheduled to be executed by lethal injection on March 3, 2024. This information was made public through documents posted on the Florida Supreme Court website. In addition to Kearse, DeSantis has also signed death warrants for Ronald Heath, set for execution on February 10, and Melvin Trotter, scheduled for February 24.

Kearse’s conviction stems from the January 18, 1991 shooting death of Officer Danny Parrish. According to a document from Attorney General James Uthmeier, Officer Parrish had initiated a traffic stop after Kearse was observed driving the wrong way on a one-way street. During the encounter, Kearse failed to produce a driver’s license and provided multiple aliases. As Officer Parrish attempted to arrest him, a struggle ensued, during which Kearse seized the officer’s firearm and fired 14 shots, striking Parrish multiple times. A nearby taxi driver witnessed the incident and alerted authorities, but Parrish later succumbed to his injuries at the hospital.

The signing of a death warrant typically initiates a series of legal maneuvers as defense attorneys seek to delay or prevent the execution. In this case, Kearse’s legal team may argue against the execution based on various legal grounds.

Meanwhile, Ronald Heath, 64, is contesting his scheduled execution at the Florida Supreme Court after a lower court in Alachua County declined to block it. Heath was sentenced to death for the May 1989 murder of Michael Sheridan, who was found shot, stabbed, and robbed in a secluded area near Gainesville. His brother, Kenneth Heath, accepted a plea deal for first-degree murder in the same case and is currently serving a life sentence.

Additionally, Melvin Trotter, 65, was sentenced to death for the June 1986 murder of Virgie Langford, a 70-year-old woman discovered in her grocery store, where she had been brutally attacked and robbed.

With these developments, Florida continues to be at the forefront of capital punishment discussions in the United States, particularly as Governor DeSantis prioritizes the enforcement of death sentences in his administration.