FORT PIERCE, Fla. — Gov. Ron DeSantis has signed the death warrant for Billy Leon Kearse, the man convicted of killing Sgt. Danny Parrish in January 1991.
In 1991, Parrish, a Fort Pierce police officer, had stopped an 18-year-old driver for going the wrong way down a one-way street.
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As he attempted to arrest the teen for having no license, there was a struggle. The teen got hold of Parrish's gun and shot him 14 times.
"As Danny fell to the ground, his life oozing from his body, Kearse stood over him with Danny's firearm," said State Attorney Tom Bakkedahl. "As Danny laid on the ground begging for his life, he fired 13 more rounds into him."
Kearse was sentenced to death in 1997.
At a news conference Friday, Bakkedahl was joined by Parrish's wife, Mirtha Busbin, as he recounted the many appeals Kearse has been through, including before the U.S. Supreme Court. Kearse's case was heard 17 times on appeal after his conviction.
He called his case "due process on steroids."
Bakkedahl said Busbin reached out to ask for help writing letters to Gov. DeSantis. When asked if they thought those letters helped secure the death warrant, Busbin said yes.
She also had a message for those seeking justice for their loved ones: "Keep fighting... There will be justice served."
The death warrant would schedule Kearse, 53, to be put to death by lethal injection on March 3.
Busbin sat down with WPTV one-on-one to recount the night she found out her husband was shot.
"He had so much life to him, you know, and we were, we were just starting out," Busbin told WPTV's Kate Hussey. "I have to say that even though he's not here, I find myself driving and talking to him."
Busbin described waiting decades for justice and for closure, calling it angering.
"You have days you wake up and you're like, 'Why am I doing this?' You know, nobody's listening to me. Nobody cares," said Busbin.
Busbin described her late husband as kind and fun-loving.
"He has very kind eyes, he was a lot of fun," said Busbin, looking through old pictures of their prom.
Though Busbin described relief when she got a call informing her the governor signed Kearse's death warrant, she also said it brought mixed feelings.
"It's bittersweet, it’s like putting it too close," said Busbin. "I'm not an evil person, I don't wish death upon anyone. But, yeah, not waiting by the mailbox to see what’s going to happen next."
Kearse and his attorneys have one last chance to file any post-conviction appeals. Bakkedahl said all court proceedings must be wrapped up by Feb. 12.
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