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 decades, tracking it from sentencing to this moment.
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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.
Kearse was sentenced to death for the 1991 shooting death of 29-year-old Parrish during a traffic stop. Prosecutors say Kearse shot Parrish 14 times. A struggle ensued when Parrish attempted to arrest Kearse for having no license and providing a false name.
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.
"We didn't win anything tonight, we basically lost another life. But we did win justice and that's what this was about," an emotional Mirtha Busbin, Danny's wife said.
Busbin said she found peace in Kearse's final words.
"I do find peace in that Mr. Kearse did apologize this evening prior to his departure — and that made me feel at peace that I can forgive him and move on," Busbin said.
For Parrish's widow, the night was never about the man who killed her husband — it was about the man she loved and the justice she spent 35 years pursuing through 17 appeals.
"I've had such a great support but so many have passed on that aren't here to celebrate this," Busbin said. "I knew I had to do this, this was a mission that had to be done and like I said — it's not about winning and it's not about me, it's about justice for Danny and Danny deserved it."
Standing alongside Busbin were Parrish's fellow officers — brothers in blue who waited decades for this moment.
"Terrible — to have your buddy shot down like that," said Greg Kirk, who was a Fort Pierce Police Officer alongside Parrish.
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Kirkland addressed questions about the length of the execution.
"There is no science to the time frame, it varies inmate to inmate, the medical team followed the policy and carried this out in a human and dignified manner," Kirkland said.
Just outside the prison gates, death penalty opponents held a vigil calling for mercy.
"We oppose Mr. Kearse's execution as we do every execution," said Maria Deliberato, Policy Director for Floridians Against the Death Penalty, or FADP.
Deliberato pointed to Kearse's upbringing as a factor in her opposition.
"He grew up in probably the most horrific circumstances I could describe," Deliberato said. "He would beg officers to take him to jail when he was 8 years old so he would have a place to sleep."
She also raised concerns about the pace of executions in Florida.
Kearse's execution marks Florida's 22nd in just over a year, shattering state records. Two more executions are already scheduled for later this month, putting Florida on track for 25 executions in just 13 months.
"I have never seen an execution pace this extreme — the process is rushed," Deliberato said.
Outside the prison, a solemn bell echoed as Kearse's death sentence was carried out after three decades.
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