6th state inmate this year to be executed Oct. 3; here's Treasure Coast death row inmates
There are 292 people on death row in Florida.
Execution Oct. 3, 2023: Michael Duane Zack III, 54, was convicted of killing two women he met at beach bars in the Florida Panhandle in 1996.
Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis on Aug. 17, 2023 signed a death warrant. The scheduled execution will be the eighth under DeSantis, records show.
Seven men on death row were convicted of crimes on the Treasure Coast.
Execution May 3, 2023: Darryl Barwick, Panama City, was 19 when he brutally stabbed a sunbather. He faces justice 36 years later
These are their stories, compiled from court records and TCPalm archives and organized by the county in which the murders were committed:
Indian River County
Rodney Lowe
Age: 52
Offense date: July 3, 1990
Sentence date: May 1, 1991
Details of crime: Lowe fatally shot store clerk Donna Burnell in an attempted robbery of Nu Pack Market on County Road 512. Burnell was found with gunshot wounds in her head and heart, her 3-year-old nephew kneeling beside her crying.
The latest: Judge rules Rodney Lowe will go to death row a second time for store clerk shooting
More: 20-year-old hamburger used to convict Lowe among items in Indian River 'murder museum'
William Reaves
Age: 74
Offense date: Sept. 23, 1986
Sentence date: March 6, 1992
Details of crime: Reaves killed Indian River County Deputy Richard Raczkoski outside a convenience store. Reaves was waiting for a cab when a gun fell from his shorts. A struggle with the deputy ensued and Reaves shot him four times in the back with the weapon.
The latest: William Reaves, who killed a sheriff's deputy in 1986, still on death row after 8 appeals
More: Convicted cop killers on the Treasure Coast
The latest: Death sentence upheld in Vero murder
More: Special report: Cost of Florida's death row easily exceeds $1M per inmate
Martin County
Matthew Marshall
Age: 58
Offense date: Nov. 1, 1988
Sentence date: Dec. 12, 1989
Details of crime: Marshall, then a Martin Correctional Institution inmate, beat inmate Jeffrey Henry to death. A fight broke out between the two men when Henry refused to pay Marshall winnings from a prison football game pool. Henry was found with his hands bound in his cell, killed by blows to the back of the head. Marshall claimed he acted in self-defense.
The latest: Murder victim’s mom on decades-long mission to see killers executed | Video
More: Rocks from 'Salerno Strangler' case among evidence in Martin County's museum of murder
The latest: Third death penalty sentencing for convicted killer J.B. Parker likely a year away
More: Death row post-conviction appeal costs for Treasure Coast inmates
The latest: Juror misconduct, including racially charged speech, alleged in death row case
Anthony Spann
Age: 49
Offense date: Nov. 14, 1997
Sentence date: June 23, 2000
Co-defendant: Lenard Philmore
Details of crime: Spann and Philmore kidnapped Kazue Perron, 44, outside her West Palm Beach home and drove away in her Lexus. They took Perron to an isolated area in Martin County, where Philmore shot her in the head and threw her body into a canal. The men then robbed a bank in Indiantown and were eventually captured in a Martin County orange grove.
The latest: Death row inmate changes story in kidnapping, slaying of woman in western Martin County
More: Stuart criminal defense attorney Robert Udell, who represented Anthony Spann, disbarred
Lenard Philmore
Age: 46
Offense date: Nov. 14, 1997
Sentence date: July 21, 2000
Co-defendant: Anthony Spann
Details of crime: Spann and Philmore kidnapped Kazue Perron, 44, outside her West Palm Beach home and drove away in her Lexus. They took Perron to an isolated area in Martin County, where Philmore shot her in the head and threw her body into a canal. The men then robbed a bank in Indiantown and were eventually captured in a Martin County orange grove.
The latest: Death Row inmate changes story in kidnapping, slaying of woman in western Martin County
St. Lucie County
Billy Kearse
Age: 50
Offense date: Jan. 18, 1991
Sentence date: Nov. 8, 1991
Details of crime: Kearse shot Fort Pierce police Sgt. Danny Parrish 13 times with the officer's own gun after getting pulled over for driving the wrong way down a one-way street.
More: 8 Treasure Coast law enforcement officers murdered in line of duty
The latest: Port St. Lucie man convicted of murder seeking new trial
More: Back-to-back death sentence waivers point to trend on Treasure Coast
The latest: State Supreme Court upholds death penalty for Andrew Michael Gosciminski
More: 'Hotel hell': Convicted murderer Andrew Gosciminski discusses life on death row
Eriese Tisdale
Age: 35
Offense date: Feb. 28, 2013
Sentence date: April 29, 2016
Details of crime: St. Lucie County sheriff’s Sgt. Gary Morales was gunned down in his patrol car while attempting a traffic stop. The deputy was found behind the wheel, belted to his seat wearing a protective vest with his weapon at his right side. He was shot in the head, neck and arm. Tisdale never denied firing a gun at Morales, but insisted he reacted out of mortal fear.
Tisdale's case is awaiting a resentencing in circuit court.
The latest: Killer of St. Lucie County Sheriff's Sgt. Gary Morales granted new sentencing hearing
More: Tisdale's mother recalls son's demeanor before he allegedly killed deputy
This article originally appeared on Treasure Coast Newspapers: Death row inmates with Treasure Coast connections
