Florida Execution Pending Appeal
William Silvia Set for Florida Execution for 2006 Wife Murder Amid Pending Appeal
William Silvia is scheduled to be executed in Florida on Tuesday for the 2006 murder of his wife, Patricia Silvia, according to Florida Today. Silvia shot and killed Patricia after shooting her mother, Betty Woodard, in the face at point-blank range.
The execution would be Florida's 13th this year, according to The Palm Beach Post. It comes on the heels of a record-breaking 2025, in which Florida carried out 19 executions — the most in a single year in the state's modern history.
How the 2006 Murder Unfolded
Silvia shot Betty Woodard, his mother-in-law, in the face at point-blank range before turning the gun on his wife, Patricia, according to The Ledger. Patricia Silvia was killed in the attack. Woodard survived.
Silvia was convicted of first-degree murder for Patricia's death. A Florida court sentenced him to death. He has spent nearly two decades on death row since the conviction, according to The Herald Tribune.
Last-Minute Legal Appeals Before the U.S. Supreme Court
Silvia's legal team has filed an appeal and a request for a stay of execution with the U.S. Supreme Court, according to Ocala.com. A stay would pause the execution while the court reviews the appeal. The court has not yet ruled.
Stays of execution at the Supreme Court level are rare. If the court does not act before Tuesday, the execution will proceed as scheduled, according to News-Journal Online.
Advocates Urge DeSantis to Commute the Death Sentence
Floridians for Alternatives to the Death Penalty has launched a petition asking Governor Ron DeSantis to spare Silvia's life, according to The St. Augustine Record. The group wants his sentence changed to life in prison without parole.
DeSantis has shown no public sign of granting clemency. He has signed death warrants at a historically high pace, overseeing all 19 executions carried out in Florida in 2025, according to NWF Daily News.
Florida's Record-Setting Pace of Executions in 2025
Florida carried out 19 executions in 2025, a modern-era record for the state, according to Herald Tribune. That pace has drawn attention from death penalty opponents across the country.
If Silvia's execution goes forward Tuesday, it will be Florida's 13th execution this year alone, according to The Ocala Star-Banner. Florida has consistently ranked among the most active states for carrying out death sentences in the U.S.
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