Florida sets execution date for man who fatally shot man and woman during home invasion robbery
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) — A man who fatally shot a man and woman during a home invasion and later confessed to three other murders is scheduled to be executed in December under a death warrant signed Tuesday by Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis. record speed in executions.
Frank Athen Walls, 58, is scheduled to die by lethal injection on December 18 at Florida State Prison. Walls will be the 19th person to be executed in Florida in 2025; DeSantis oversaw more executions in a single year than any other Florida governor since the death penalty was reinstated in 1976. The previous record was set in 2014 with eight executions.
DeSantis signs death warrant two days before execution Richard Barry Randolph. Another convicted murderer Mark Allen GeraldsHe will die on December 9th.
Walls was convicted of two counts of murder, two kidnappings, burglary and theft, and was sentenced to death in 1988. The Florida Supreme Court later overturned the conviction and ordered a new trial; where Walls was convicted again in 1992 and sentenced to death.
According to court records, Walls broke into the Florida Panhandle mobile home of airman Edward Alger and his girlfriend Ann Peterson at Eglin Air Force Base in July 1987. Walls tied up the pair, but Alger managed to break free and attack Walls. Walls slit Alger’s throat and shot him in the head as the airman continued to fight. Walls then went to attack Peterson and shot him as he struggled.
Walls was arrested the day after the bodies were found, after his roommate reported Walls’ strange behavior to the police. During a search of the home, investigators reported finding items from the scene, and Walls later confessed to the murders.
After his conviction, DNA evidence linked Walls to the May 1987 rape and murder of Audrey Gygi. Walls pleaded no contest, avoiding another trial and the possible death penalty. Walls also admitted responsibility for the murders of Tommie Lou Whiddon in March 1985 and Cynthia Sue Condra in September 1986 as part of a deal with prosecutors.
Walls’ attorneys are expected to appeal to the Florida Supreme Court and the U.S. Supreme Court.
so far 43 people He was executed in the USA in 2025. Florida leads the way with a series of death warrants signed by DeSantis. The state’s most recent execution was lethal injection on Nov. 13. Bryan Frederick JenningsA person convicted of raping and murdering his neighbor.
