A Florida man convicted of killing a man and the man’s girlfriend during a home invasion was executed Thursday night.
Frank Athen Walls was put to death by a three-drug lethal injection on the evening of Thursday, Nov. 18, at Florida State Prison near Starke, Fla., the Associated Press reported. Walls, 58, was the 19th person executed in Florida this year, according to the outlet.
Walls was sentenced to death in 1988 after being convicted of two counts of murder, the Associated Press reported. The Florida Supreme Court later overturned that conviction and ordered a new trial. Walls was convicted again and re-sentenced to death in 1992. He was found guilty in the killings of Edward Alger and Alger’s girlfriend, Ann Peterson.
Execution Details and Final Statement
The execution began at 6 p.m. local time, and Walls was pronounced dead at 6:11 p.m., the outlet reported. A Catholic priest sat near Walls with his right hand extended toward Walls’ lower leg or foot, according to the Associated Press.
Alex Lanfranconi, a spokesman for Gov. Ron DeSantis, told the outlet that Walls made a brief statement before the execution.
“Good evening, everyone. I appreciate the opportunity to say what’s on my heart. If any of the members of the family are here, I am sorry for all of the things I did, the pain I caused, and all of that you have suffered all these years,” Walls said, according to the Associated Press.
The 1987 Home Invasion Murders
According to court records obtained by the Associated Press, Walls broke into a mobile home in Florida’s Panhandle in July 1987. Alger was an airman stationed at Eglin Air Force Base, the outlet reported. Investigators believe Walls tied up Alger and Peterson. After Alger broke loose, Walls slit his throat and shot him in the head, according to the report. Walls then shot Peterson as she struggled to free herself, the outlet reported.
Additional Killings Linked by DNA
Years later, new technology led to DNA evidence tying Walls to the May 1987 rape and murder of Audrey Gygi, the Associated Press reported. Walls entered a no-contest plea in that case in an attempt to avoid another trial and a potential death sentence.
As part of an agreement with prosecutors, Walls also admitted responsibility for two additional killings: Tommie Lou Whiddon in March 1985 and Cynthia Sue Condra in September 1986, according to the Associated Press.
Florida’s Execution Pace This Year
Walls became the 47th person executed in the U.S. this year after receiving a death sentence, according to the Death Penalty Information Center.
The highest previous annual total of executions in Florida was eight in 2014, the Associated Press reported, citing the period since the U.S. Supreme Court restored the death penalty in 1976. Florida has carried out the most executions in the country this year, according to the outlet.
Florida executions are carried out by lethal injection using a sedative, a paralytic, and a drug that stops the heart, according to the state’s Department of Corrections.
