RAIFORD, Fla. — Billy Leon Kearse, the Fort Pierce man convicted of shooting and killing a police sergeant 35 years ago, was declared dead at 6:24 p.m. He declined his last meal in the hours before his scheduled execution at Florida State Prison.
The Florida Supreme Court officially denied his final appeal earlier the same day.
Kearse was sentenced to death for the 1991 shooting death of 29-year-old Fort Pierce Police Sgt. Danny Parrish. WPTV has covered this case for 35 years, tracking it from sentencing to this moment.
Corrections officials said Kearse had one visitor in his final hours.
"He had one visitor — he met with a spiritual advisor, and is calm and in good spirits," said Jordan Kirkland, communications director for the Florida Department of Corrections.
Investigative Reporter Kate Hussey was outside Florida State Prison on Tuesday, where she was bused into the prison to witness the execution. She was brought inside with only a pen and paper to document what happened.
In his final words, Kearse asked the Parrish family for forgiveness, acknowledging his death would not repay the death of Sgt. Danny Parrish.
"To his family, I sincerely apologize for what I have done," Kearse said, looking at the crowd. "And in turn, I pray my father would give me the strength to ask their forgiveness to give you peace and resolve."
Kearse convulsed in the first few moments of the execution. The family appeared relatively emotionless.
Hussey has been listening to Parrish's widow and other officers who worked alongside him, who said they have waited three-and-a-half decades for this moment.
WPTV Investigates
After 35 years and 17 appeals, killer of Fort Pierce officer to be executed
Outside the prison, Kearse's supporters and death penalty opponents will be gathering for a vigil to call on the state to slow down, as Florida shatters modern-day execution records.
Two more executions are already scheduled for later this month, putting Florida on track for 25 executions in just 13 months.
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