STARKE, Fla. — Florida carried out the execution Tuesday evening of a 53-year-old man who murdered a police officer more than three decades ago using the officer’s own weapon.
Billy Leon Kearse received a lethal injection at 6 p.m. at Florida State Prison near Starke for the 1991 killing of Fort Pierce Police Officer Danny Parrish. A jury originally condemned Kearse to death in 1991 following his conviction on charges of first-degree murder and armed robbery.
After the Florida Supreme Court determined the trial judge had not properly instructed jurors about aggravating factors, Kearse received a new sentencing hearing and was again sentenced to death in 1997.
Tuesday’s execution marks Florida’s third this year, coming after the state set a record with 19 executions in 2025. Under Republican Governor Ron DeSantis, Florida executed more people last year than any other governor has since capital punishment resumed in 1976. The previous high was eight executions, which occurred in both 1984 under Bob Graham and 2014 under Rick Scott.
Court documents show Officer Parrish stopped Kearse in January 1991 for traveling in the wrong direction on a one-way street in Fort Pierce. When Kearse failed to provide proper identification, Parrish instructed him to exit his car and tried to place him under arrest.
During the physical altercation that followed, Kearse seized Parrish’s gun, according to prosecutors. Kearse then fired 14 rounds, with nine bullets hitting the officer’s body and four striking his protective vest. A taxi driver in the area heard the gunfire and used Parrish’s police radio to summon assistance.
Medical personnel transported Parrish to a local hospital, where he succumbed to his injuries, authorities reported. Police tracked down Kearse using vehicle registration information that Parrish had radioed in before the confrontation, leading them to Kearse’s residence where they made the arrest.
The Florida Supreme Court rejected Kearse’s appeals last week. His legal team had contended that he was denied proper representation during sentencing and that executing someone with intellectual disabilities violates constitutional protections.
Final legal challenges remained before the U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday.
Nationwide, 47 individuals were executed in 2025, with Florida leading all states due to numerous death warrants issued by DeSantis. Alabama, South Carolina, and Texas each conducted five executions, trailing far behind Florida’s total.
Beyond the two Florida executions completed this year, Texas and Oklahoma have each put one person to death.
Florida has two additional executions planned for March. Michael Lee King, 54, faces execution on March 17, while James Aren Duckett, 68, is scheduled to die on March 31.
The state’s Department of Corrections uses a three-drug protocol for all executions: a sedative, a paralytic agent, and a medication that stops heart function.
