William Frances Silvia Jr., 61, has been on death row in Florida for nearly two decades. He is scheduled to be executed by lethal injection at Florida State Prison on August 18, 2026, at 6 p.m. local time. If the execution goes ahead, he will be the thirteenth person put to death in Florida this year.

The case

William and Patricia Silvia married in 2002 and had two children together. Their marriage was troubled, and the couple separated in 2006. Patricia then moved with the children into her mother’s home.

On September 22, 2006, after repeated attempts to repair the relationship had failed, William went to the house carrying a rifle. He shot and killed Patricia and seriously wounded her mother, Betty, in the face. He also fired several other shots while a number of people were in or around the property. He was arrested shortly afterwards in a motel parking lot.

Silvia was convicted of first-degree murder and attempted murder. The jury recommended a death sentence by an 11–1 vote, and the judge subsequently sentenced him to death.

In 2017, a court ordered a new sentencing hearing following legal challenges to death sentences imposed without a unanimous jury recommendation. That decision was overturned the following year by the Florida Supreme Court, and Silvia’s death sentence was reinstated.

On July 17, 2026, Governor Ron DeSantis signed the death warrant setting the execution date for August 18.

Eleonora, who has been corresponding with William for almost two years, has written to us with an appeal:

“For me, Will is not simply a man on death row. He is someone with whom I have exchanged more than 400 letters, photographs, thoughts and hopes. His execution is scheduled for August 18, 2026. Whatever judgment people may make about his past, I do not believe that the state should kill in our name.
If you believe, as I do, that every human life has value, and that the death penalty does not deliver justice but only creates another death, please take a minute to sign and share the petition calling for his sentence to be commuted to life imprisonment.”

We stand with Eleonora and with all those calling for an end to the death penalty. Opposing William Silvia’s execution does not mean ignoring the seriousness of the crime or the suffering endured by Patricia’s family and by her mother. It means recognising that another death cannot undo the harm already caused or bring lasting peace to those who survived it.

Under Governor DeSantis, Florida has sharply increased its use of capital punishment. If William Silvia is executed, the state will have carried out thirteen executions in 2026 alone. This continued escalation reflects a model of justice centred on punishment and retribution rather than mercy, rehabilitation and respect for human life.