One of Florida’s longtime death row inmates has appealed to get his impending execution halted. William Reaves is scheduled to be executed by lethal injection on October 20, 2026, but his attorneys argue that procedural failures and concerns about the state’s lethal injection protocol have violated his constitutional rights.

​In the emergency motion, filed on October 5, attorneys from the Capital Collateral Regional Counsel urged the Florida High Court to pause the execution. They outlined that Reaves was denied postconviction relief as a result of a previous circuit court ruling. His defense attorneys argued that the lower court had completely rejected claims which would have otherwise required a full evidentiary hearing.

Death Row Inmate Alleges Problems With Clemency Proceedings

Defense attorneys Brittney N. Lacy and Yiitsodirah Final, representing Reaves, said their client was denied access to his own clemency proceedings. They argued that his previous attorneys failed to facilitate the process, preventing Reaves from fully reviewing his clemency records.

The emergency filing also said Reaves has been diagnosed with significant hearing impairment. Based on that condition, his attorneys argued that Florida’s lethal injection protocol lacks sufficient procedures to determine whether an inmate is fully unconscious. They said the lack of adequate consciousness checks could cause unnecessary suffering if Reaves is not fully unconscious during the execution.

​Given the eleventh hour of the motion being filed and the short time span left for his execution, Reaves’ attorneys asked the court to halt the death sentence.

​The 1986 Shooting Of Indian County River Deputy

Court records show that Reaves was convicted of killing Richard Raczkowski, a deputy with the Indian River County Sheriff’s Office. On September 23, 1986, the 29-year-old deputy had responded to a 911 call from a Zippy Mart payphone in Vero Beach.​

Within minutes of his arrival, Deputy Raczkowski was shot right in front of the convenience store. He died after suffering four gunshot wounds. An eyewitness later told police about spotting an African-American man running from the crime scene, resembling the movements of a soldier under fire back during the Vietnam War.

​During the investigation, authorities determined that Reaves had made the 911 call and was the person who shot Raczkowski. According to court records, Reaves called because he did not have enough money to pay for a cab. The deputy arrived and helped him get a taxi before checking records for outstanding warrants.

An altercation then occurred, during which a gun fell from Reaves’ pocket. Raczkowski noticed the firearm and stopped Reaves from grabbing it. When the deputy turned to run for safety after asking Reaves not to shoot him, Reaves fired four rounds at him.

​Investigation And Charges Against Shooter

​Reaves fled the scene and and went to a friend’s house, where he confessed to the shooting. The friend contacted police and reported that Reaves had admitted to killing the deputy while under the influence of cocaine.

Reaves was arrested three days later and charged with first-degree murder, possession of a firearm by a convicted felon and cocaine trafficking. A jury convicted him of first-degree murder in 1987, and a Sarasota County judge sentenced him to death.