DeSantis Sets December Execution for Willie Crain

Crain’s execution would be Florida’s 22nd this year, following 19 executions already carried out and two others scheduled before his. The state’s previous annual record was 19, set in 2025. Crain is due to die at Florida State Prison in Raiford on December 10.

Brown disappeared in 1998 after Crain, whom her mother had recently met, spent the night with the family. Her body was never found. Investigators believe it was thrown into Old Tampa Bay, where Crain worked as a commercial crab fisherman. Prosecutors presented evidence that Brown’s blood was found in his bathroom and on his underwear. Crain has maintained his innocence.

A jury unanimously recommended the death penalty, and Crain was sentenced in 1999 to death for Brown’s killing and life in prison for her kidnapping. The Florida Supreme Court upheld the convictions and sentences in 2004 after Crain appealed, including on the grounds that evidence did not establish premeditation and that the death penalty was unconstitutional.

Floridians for Alternatives to the Death Penalty is urging a pause, with two people exonerated after serving time on Florida’s death row scheduled to appear at an event. Jeff Hood, a spiritual adviser to executed inmates, has asked gubernatorial candidate Byron Donalds to suspend warrants and executions for six months and commission an independent review. Donalds has said violent criminals should face the full weight of justice.

Florida’s Execution Record Demands a Pause

Florida is on course to execute 22 people this year, after already carrying out 19 executions and scheduling two more before Willie Crain’s December 10 date. The state’s previous record was 19, set last year. That accelerating pace is the central concern for the Florida group advocating options other than capital punishment, which is calling for executions to stop temporarily.

Crain, 80, was convicted in the 1998 kidnapping and killing of 7-year-old Amanda Brown, whose remains were never located. Prosecutors said Brown’s blood was found in his bathroom and on his underwear. Crain has maintained his innocence. A jury unanimously recommended death, and the Florida Supreme Court upheld his convictions and sentences in 2004.

Jeff Hood, a spiritual adviser to executed inmates, has urged gubernatorial candidate Byron Donalds to halt warrants and executions for six months and commission an independent review of the pace, procedures and human cost. The group plans an event featuring two people exonerated after serving time on Florida’s death row. Donalds has said violent criminals should face the full weight of justice; critics of the execution pace argue that a brief pause and independent scrutiny are warranted before more lives are taken.

Florida Enforces Justice as DeSantis Sets Crain Execution

Florida is moving to carry out its 22nd execution of the year, as Gov. Ron DeSantis signed a warrant for Willie Crain, 80, to die on December 10. The state has already carried out 19 executions, matching its previous annual record, and two more are scheduled before Crain’s execution.

Crain was sentenced to death for the 1998 kidnapping and killing of 7-year-old Amanda Brown. Her body was never recovered. Prosecutors presented evidence that her blood was found in Crain’s bathroom and on his underwear. Crain has maintained his innocence, but the jury unanimously recommended the death penalty and the Florida Supreme Court upheld his convictions and sentences in 2004.

A group opposing capital punishment is asking for executions to pause, and Jeff Hood has urged gubernatorial candidate Byron Donalds to suspend warrants and executions for six months while an independent review is conducted. Donalds has said violent criminals should face the full weight of justice. The case puts that principle against calls to halt the state’s execution schedule, even as Florida proceeds with sentences upheld by its courts.