Florida to Execute Inmate Today Convicted in 1990 Murder

The State of Florida is scheduled to execute Chadwick Scott Willacy, 58, this evening for the 1990 murder of Marlys Sather during a burglary at her Palm Bay home.

Willacy is set to receive a lethal injection at 6:00 p.m. at Florida State Prison near Starke. He was convicted of first-degree murder, burglary, robbery and arson and sentenced to death in 1991 following a 9–3 jury recommendation. After a court-ordered resentencing in 1995, a second jury recommended death by an 11–1 vote.

According to court records, Sather returned home during her lunch break in September 1990 and encountered Willacy inside her residence. Prosecutors said he struck her in the head with a blunt object, fracturing her skull, bound her hands and feet, attempted to strangle her with a telephone cord, and then poured gasoline on her and set her on fire.

An autopsy determined Sather died from smoke inhalation, indicating she was alive when the fire was set.

Authorities said Willacy stole Sather’s vehicle and personal property and used her ATM card to withdraw cash. Her body was discovered after family members went to check on her when she failed to return to work.

The Florida Supreme Court denied Willacy’s latest appeals last week. Final appeals were pending before the U.S. Supreme Court as the execution date approached.

If carried out, the execution would be Florida’s fifth in 2026. The state conducted 19 executions in 2025, the highest annual total since the death penalty was reinstated in 1976.

Florida administers executions by lethal injection using a three-drug protocol consisting of a sedative, a paralytic agent and a drug that stops the heart, according to the Department of Corrections. Another execution is scheduled for April 30.