CRIME & LAW

Execution concludes decades-long Walls case in Florida

PUBLISHED Dec 18, 2025, 12:23 AM ET

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Execution concludes decades-long Walls case in Florida

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Sources: 8

Center 100%

Sources: 8

STARKE, Fla. — Florida executed Frank Athen Walls on Thursday evening after courts denied appeals Thursday. Corrections officials pronounced Walls dead at 6:11 p.m. following a lethal injection at Florida State Prison near Starke. Walls had been convicted in 1988, retried and resentenced to death in 1992 for the 1987 home‑invasion slayings of Edward Alger and Ann Peterson and later linked to additional killings. Gov. Ron DeSantis signed the warrant on Nov. 18; the U.S. Supreme Court declined to halt the execution earlier Thursday. Officials said this was Florida’s 19th execution of 2025. Based on 6 articles reviewed and supporting research.

By Faro B. | JQJO News

Timeline of Events

July 22, 1987: Two people were killed during a home invasion in Okaloosa County.
Aug. 24, 1988: Walls received an initial death sentence for the murders.
1992: Florida retried Walls after a reversal and again sentenced him to death.
Nov. 18, 2025: Governor Ron DeSantis signed a death warrant scheduling the execution.
Dec. 18, 2025: Courts denied last‑minute appeals and Walls was executed at 6:11 p.m.

Media Bias

Articles Published:: 8
Right Leaning:: 0
Left Leaning:: 0
Neutral:: 8
Distribution:: Left 0%, Center 100%, Right 0%

Who Benefited

Prosecutors, state officials and victims' advocates saw their positions reinforced by the execution, which affirmed enforcement of Florida's capital punishment statutes.