The Florida Supreme Court is reviewing appeals following a circuit court’s rejection of a motion to stay the execution of death row inmate William Frances Silvia Jr., whose execution remains scheduled for August 18, 2026, at 6:00 p.m.

Background

Silvia was sentenced to death for the September 22, 2006, murder of his estranged wife, Patricia Silvia, in Seminole County. He was also sentenced to life imprisonment for the attempted first-degree murder of her mother, Betty Woodard, who survived a shotgun wound to the face during the same incident.

In recent court filings, the Florida Office of the Attorney General urged the state’s high court to uphold the Eighteenth Judicial Circuit Court’s summary denial of Silvia’s successive post-conviction motion and request for a stay.

Appeal Arguments

Attorneys for Silvia raised two primary arguments: Counsel Workload and Due Process, and Lethal Injection Protocol and Drug Shortages. The state countered that capital defendants have no constitutional right to effective assistance of post-conviction counsel under established precedent.

Assistant Attorney General Doris Meacham noted in filings that the victims’ family members hold a constitutional right under the Florida Constitution to proceedings free from unreasonable delay.

Original reporting: Tampa Free Press — read the source article.