DeSantis withdraws death warrant for elderly inmate days before execution

Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL) withdrew the death warrant for an elderly inmate before he was set to be executed by lethal injection next week.

DeSantis did not say why he revoked the death penalty for William Thompson, 74, in a signed letter on Thursday, but the move is likely related to the fact that the defendant has dementia and a heart condition. The Florida governor, who has approved the death penalty for other inmates several times during his second term, signed the death warrant for Thompson on Sept. 11.