A death row killer who set his neighbour ablaze more than three decades ago delivered a protest against his death in his final words before execution.
Chadwick Scott Willacy was administered a three-drug lethal injection today for the murder of Marlys Sather, who was set alight after returning home to discover the convicted criminal inside her property. Willacy, who had broken in during a chilling burglary, struck her over the head with a blunt object, fracturing her skull, before binding her hands and ankles with wire and tape.
Convicted of first-degree murder, burglary, robbery and arson, Willacy spent 36 years on death row in Starke, Florida, before finally being executed today. The 58-year-old offered apologies to his own family and friends and urged his “brothers on the row” to remain strong, yet continued to protest his innocence, insisting he would never have killed his friend.
Speaking moments before the lethal injection was administered, Willacy said: “To the victim’s family, I hope this brings you peace. If it does, that’s good. But this is not right.”
This marked Florida’s fifth execution this year, following the death of Michael Lee King, who had raped and murdered a young mother in the state.
Both men endured lengthy spells on death row prior to their executions — nearly 36 years in Willacy’s case, following his brutal attack on Ms Sather in Palm Bay, Florida.
When Ms Sather confronted the intruder in her home, he attempted to strangle her with a telephone cord, and when that failed, he doused her in petrol and set her alight, according to records.
An autopsy confirmed that Ms Sather had died from smoke inhalation, indicating she was still alive when she was set on fire.
Willacy also stole Ms Sather’s car and various other belongings from her home, and used the woman’s ATM card to withdraw cash, officials said. When Ms Sather failed to return to work after her lunch break, her employer contacted her family. Her son-in-law went to check on her and discovered her body. Her killer was subsequently sentenced to death following a 9-3 jury recommendation, after being convicted of first-degree murder, burglary, robbery and arson.
Florida’s fifth execution of 2026 came on the heels of a record 19 executions carried out in the state last year. Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis oversaw more executions in a single year in 2025 than any other Florida governor since the death penalty was reinstated in 1976. The previous record had been set in 2014 with eight executions.
A further execution is scheduled in Florida later this month: James Ernest Hitchcock, 70, is due to receive a lethal injection on April 30. He was convicted of beating and choking his 13-year-old niece to death.