TALLAHASSEE — Florida Governor Ron DeSantis signed a death warrant on July 17, 2026, officially setting an execution date for death row inmate William Frances Silvia Jr. The execution is scheduled to take place on Tuesday, August 18, 2026, at 6:00 p.m. at Florida State Prison in Raiford. This action concludes a lengthy legal process involving the conviction of Silvia for the fatal shooting of his estranged wife and the attempted murder of her mother during a family gathering in Seminole County.
Details of the 2006 Crime
Silvia was convicted of first-degree murder for the September 22, 2006, fatal shooting of Patricia Silvia and the attempted first-degree murder of her mother, Betty Woodard. According to a case summary provided by Attorney General James Uthmeier, Silvia purchased a 12-gauge shotgun and ammunition on the afternoon of the incident. He later traveled to his mother-in-law’s home in Seminole County, where Patricia was living and where the family was hosting a cookout.
After an attempt at reconciliation failed, Silvia retrieved the shotgun from his truck. The summary states that he shot Woodard in the face, causing severe injuries, before shooting Patricia Silvia in the head, resulting in her death. During transport following his arrest, Silvia told officers regarding his marriage: “That’s the reason I’m in this situation. My wife spent all my money. I placed the checking account in her name. She started re-dating her ex-husband. That is the reason I shot her.”
Legal History and Judicial Review
The legal proceedings against Silvia spanned nearly two decades. During a 2008 trial in the Eighteenth Judicial Circuit, a Seminole County jury recommended a death sentence by a vote of 11 to 1. On January 28, 2009, Circuit Judge Donna L. McIntosh sentenced Silvia to death for the murder and imposed a concurrent life sentence for the attempted murder.
The Florida Supreme Court originally affirmed the conviction and death sentence on direct appeal in 2011. Although a postconviction court temporarily vacated the death sentence in 2017 based on state and federal rulings regarding jury unanimity rules, the Florida Supreme Court reversed that order and reinstated the death sentence in 2018.
Execution Window Established
A legal sufficiency review by the Attorney General’s office confirmed there are currently no stays of execution in place. Subsequent appeals have been denied, including a federal motion dismissed in March 2024, and executive clemency was deemed inappropriate.
DeSantis has designated a one-week window from August 18 to August 25 for the sentence to be carried out. Florida State Prison Warden Randall Polk is responsible for finalizing the specific execution time on the first day of that window, which aligns with the scheduled date set by the governor.
