Florida State Prison confirmed the execution of Michael Zack III, a 54-year-old convicted double murderer, on Tuesday evening. This is the state’s most recent execution, with Governor Ron DeSantis having presided over eight such sentences since 2019.
Zack was convicted for the brutal killings of two women, Ravonne Smith and Laura Rosillo, in 1996. He took the life of Smith using an oyster knife and later attacked Rosillo after meeting her at a bar.
The Florida Conference of Catholic Bishops was among those who ardently opposed Zack’s execution. In a letter to Gov. DeSantis last month, they wrote, “intentionally ending Mr. Zack’s life is unnecessary,” saying that a life imprisonment sentence without parole would be a “severe and more humane penalty.”
They brought up Zack’s traumatic childhood, marred by physical and sexual abuse. This history was also presented in court, with experts pointing to factors like organic brain damage, fetal alcohol syndrome, and post-traumatic stress disorder as likely contributors to his criminal behavior.
Despite the appeals and insights into his troubled past, the U.S. Supreme Court denied Zack’s request for a stay of execution without providing any reasons.
In a final statement released by the Floridians for Alternatives to the Death Penalty, Zack expressed remorse for his crimes.
He said: “I make no excuses. But how I wish that I could have a second chance. To Governor DeSantis and the Clemency Board: I love you. I forgive you. I pray for you.”
