Execution Scheduled for Ronald Heath in Florida

Ronald Palmer Heath, 64, is scheduled for execution by lethal injection on Tuesday evening at Florida State Prison. Heath was convicted in 1990 of first-degree murder, robbery with a deadly weapon, and other charges related to the 1989 killing of Michael Sheridan.

This marks Florida's first scheduled execution of the year.

The state conducted 19 executions last year, a record for any Florida governor since the reinstatement of the death penalty in 1976. In the previous year, 47 people were executed in the U.S., with Florida leading the states.

Details of the 1989 Murder

According to court records, Heath and his brother Kenneth Heath met Michael Sheridan at a Gainesville bar in May 1989. The three men left the bar to smoke marijuana. Investigators stated that the brothers subsequently planned to rob Sheridan.

Ronald Heath drove the group to a remote area where Kenneth Heath shot Sheridan after he initially refused to comply with the robbery. Ronald Heath then kicked Sheridan and stabbed him with a hunting knife while Sheridan was emptying his pockets. Kenneth Heath then shot Sheridan twice in the head.

The brothers disposed of Sheridan's body in a wooded area and later used his credit cards for multiple purchases. Ronald Heath was arrested weeks later after being linked to the stolen credit cards. Kenneth Heath received a life sentence as part of a plea agreement.

Denied Appeals and Pending Challenges

The Florida Supreme Court recently denied appeals filed by Ronald Heath's attorneys. These appeals cited issues with death penalty protocols, the clemency process, Heath's brain development due to juvenile incarceration, and a non-unanimous jury recommendation for the death penalty.

Similar appeals are pending before the U.S. Supreme Court.

Two additional executions are scheduled in Florida for later this month and next month.