MIAMI — A Florida man convicted of killing his estranged wife and wounding her mother is scheduled to be executed Tuesday evening, a case that underscores the state’s unusually high pace of capital punishment this year.
Prison officials plan to give 61-year-old William Frances Silvia a three-drug injection at Florida State Prison near Starke beginning at 6 p.m. local time, pending the outcome of a pending legal filing before the U.S. Supreme Court. If carried out, Silvia would be the 13th person put to death in Florida in 2026.
Case background and legal history
Silvia was convicted of first-degree murder and attempted first-degree murder for a shooting that took place in 2006 at the Orlando-area home of his mother-in-law, where his estranged wife had been living. Court records indicate Silvia bought a shotgun that year, arrived at the home amid a family cookout, attempted unsuccessfully to reconcile and then retrieved the firearm from his truck before shooting the two women.
Patricia Silvia died of her injuries; her mother, Betty Woodard, was wounded. Silvia was first sentenced to death following a 2008 trial. That sentence was later vacated after appeals related to Florida’s death-penalty sentencing procedures. After a new penalty phase in 2018, jurors again imposed the death sentence.
Counsel and procedural challenges
The Capital Collateral Regional Counsel, a state-funded agency that represents people on death row in post-conviction proceedings, has served as Silvia’s legal counsel. Silvia’s attorneys argued that the agency could not provide adequate assistance because it was concurrently representing another death-row inmate. The Florida Supreme Court rejected that claim in its review.
As of Tuesday, a final appeal remained pending at the U.S. Supreme Court, according to court filings and scheduling notices. Executions in Florida are often subject to last-minute federal filings that can delay or halt planned procedures.
Florida’s 2026 execution tally
Florida has accounted for a significant share of executions nationwide this year. Through mid-August, the state has carried out more than half of the country’s executions.
| Metric | Number |
|---|---|
| Florida executions in 2026 (if Silvia carried out) | 13 |
| U.S. executions so far in 2026 | 22 |
Statewide context and upcoming dates
Florida’s use of capital punishment has accelerated under the current administration. The state has two more executions scheduled in September, including a previously announced date for Harold Gene Lucas, 74, slated for Sept. 1, according to state correctional scheduling.
Last year, Florida led the nation with 19 executions in 2025, the highest annual total for the state since the death penalty was reinstated in 1976. In July, Florida carried out two executions on the same day, the first time in nearly a decade a state performed multiple executions in a single day.
What to watch next
- Whether the U.S. Supreme Court acts on Silvia’s pending appeal before the scheduled execution time.
- Whether planned executions in September proceed as scheduled amid potential federal or state legal challenges.
- How advocacy groups and legal counsel respond to continued high execution numbers in Florida.
The case again draws attention to procedural disputes in capital cases, the role of state-provided counsel for death-row inmates and the broader policy debate over the death penalty in Florida. Court dockets and filings will determine whether the sentence proceeds tonight or is stayed for further review.
Coverage will continue as developments occur at the state prison in Starke and in federal courts.
