'Ron DeSantis can suck our d***s': Florida death row inmate Donald Dillbeck saves last words to slam governor
STARKE, FLORIDA: In the state's first execution since 2019, a man was put to death in Florida on Thursday, February 23, for the 1990 murder of a woman who was stabbed to death during an attempted carjacking after he escaped from prison. The governor's office reported that 59-year-old Donald Dillbeck was declared dead at 6.13 pm after receiving a lethal injection. He had been found guilty of murdering Faye Vann, 44, in Tallahassee close to the state Capitol. While Dillbeck was executed, he didn't hold back as he spoke his last words. Dillbeck accused Gov Ron DeSantis of doing a 'lot worse' and 'taking a lot from a lot of people.'
Last month, after Gov Ron DeSantis approved Dillbeck's death sentence, the inmate's attorneys began making efforts to halt the execution. Last week, the Florida Supreme Court declined to stay the execution, and on Wednesday, February 22, the US Supreme Court did the same. Gary Ray Bowles, 57, of Jacksonville, was the last person executed on August 22, 2019. Bowles was sentenced to death in 1996 after a Duval County jury found him guilty of murdering Walter Hinton, 42, on November 20, 1994, reported WCTV.
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What crime was Donald Dillbeck executed for?
Dillbeck was sentenced to death for the 1990 murder of Faye Vann, who was stabbed during a carjacking. Dillbeck reportedly stabbed Vann after escaping from a prison work detail in Quincy. Dillbeck was serving a life sentence for the 1979 shooting of Lee County sheriff's deputy Dwight Lynn Hall when he was 15, reported The Free Press.
According to Michelle Glady, a spokeswoman for the Florida Department of Corrections, Vann's family members were present for the execution. She also stated that Dillbeck made a final statement. Glady further informed the media that Dillbeck had a final meal of fried shrimp, mushrooms, onion rings, butter pecan ice cream, a chocolate bar, and pecan pie on Thursday, February 23 morning after waking up early and speaking with a "spiritual adviser." “Mr. Dillbeck woke up early this morning,” Glady told reporters during an afternoon news conference. “He is calm, and he has followed his normal routine.”
What were Donald Dillbeck's last words?
In the moments leading up to his execution by the state on Thursday, February 23 night, Donald Dillbeck didn't hold back speaking his last words. “I know I hurt people when I was young. I really messed up,” Dillbeck, 59, muttered as he was shackled to a gurney in the death chamber of the Florida State Prison. “But I know (Florida Gov.) Ron DeSantis has done a lot worse. He’s taken a lot from a lot of people. I speak for all men, women, and children. He’s put his foot on our necks," reported Tallahassee Democrat.
Workers for the Florida Department of Prisons started giving him the first of three medications at 6.02 pm to sedate, paralyze, and stop his heart. At 6.13 pm, 11 minutes later, he was declared dead.
How are Donald Dillbeck and Ron DeSantis connected?
Donald Dillbeck, a convicted killer, used his last words to criticize Florida Governor Ron DeSantis before being put to death in the state's first execution in more than three years. Dillbeck reportedly admitted to having "really messed up" in the past before taking direct aim at DeSantis and asserting that he spoke "for all men, women, and children" before concluding that the Republican governor had done "a lot worse" during his last remarks. He concluded by saying, "Ron DeSantis and other people like him can suck our d***s," per reports from Newsweek.
What was Donald Dillbeck suffering from?
Dillbeck's counsel attempted to stop the execution in part by focusing on a neurological disorder brought on by prenatal alcohol exposure.
In one court filing, they claimed that their client had an illness called neurodevelopmental disorder associated with prenatal alcohol exposure, or ND-PAE, which is "recognized by the medical community as an intellectual disability-equivalent condition." According to a decision by the US Supreme Court, the Eighth Amendment's prohibition on cruel and unusual punishment applies to those who are mentally challenged.
However, the Florida Supreme Court rejected the argument, and the US Supreme Court also declined to hear the case or grant a stay of execution.