Death row inmate becomes Florida’s fifth execution of the year for 1990 killing of neighbour | US News

A murderer who burned his neighbour alive after she found him burgling her home has been executed nearly 40 years later.

Chadwick Scott Willacy, then 22, was convicted of beating Marlys Sather, 56, then strangling her with a phone cord, before dousing her in petrol and setting her on fire while she was still alive.

He became Florida’s fifth execution of 2026 following a record 19 in the state last year.

The 58-year-old received a three-drug injection at Florida State Prison on Tuesday evening for the killing, according to the Associated Press.

In a statement before his execution, he maintained his innocence, saying he would never kill his friend.

During the moments before the execution, Willacy said: “To the victim’s family, I hope this brings you peace. If it does, that’s good. But this is not right.”

Ms Sather’s family later released a statement, saying they had “waited 36.5 years for justice”.

According to court records, Ms Sather returned to her home in Palm Bay, Florida, on a lunch break from work on 5 September 1990 to find Willacy burgling her home.

He struck her on the head with a blunt object, fracturing her skull, and then bound her hands and ankles with wire and tape, according to investigators.

Willacy attempted to strangle Ms Sather with a phone cord, before he covered her in petrol and set her on fire, records state.

An autopsy found Ms Sather died from smoke inhalation, indicating she was still alive when she was set on fire.

Willacy also stole Ms Sather’s car and other items from her home, and used her bank card to steal cash, authorities said.

He was later sentenced to death for first-degree murder, burglary, robbery and arson.

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Ahead of his execution, the inmate was visited by his mother, two sisters and a cousin, the Florida Department of Correction said.

On Tuesday, the US Supreme Court denied Willacy’s final appeal without making any comment.

Ms Sather’s family said she had lost her husband to cancer in July 1990, “just weeks before she was murdered”.

“She was a new widow trying to take one day at a time,” their statement said.

They added: “Our mother, Marlys Mae Sather should be remembered as a beautiful and loving daughter, wife, mother of three, grandmother of five, great grandmother of five, aunt, cousin and friend.”

Republican Ron DeSantis oversaw more executions in a single year in 2025 than any other Florida governor since the death penalty was reinstated in 1976.

A total of 47 inmates were executed in the US in 2025.