Edward Zakrzewski, who had been on death row for over two decades, was executed on July 31 for the 1994 murders of his wife and two children. This execution marked the ninth one in Florida in 2023. At the age of 60, Zakrzewski received a series of three injections: a sedative, a paralytic, and one to stop his heart, ultimately leading to his death.
Zakrzewski’s crimes were heinous, involving the brutal murder of his wife, Sylvia, and their two children—a seven-year-old son and a five-year-old daughter. He first attacked Sylvia with a crowbar, then strangled her with a rope, and when she showed signs of life, he used a machete against her.
His children met a similar fate, as they were brutally attacked with the same weapon, their bodies later discovered in the bathroom of their home in Mary Esther. Following these horrific events, Zakrzewski fled to Molokai Island in Hawaii, evading capture for four months. Eventually, a minister identified him from an episode of ‘Unsolved Mysteries,’ prompting Zakrzewski to surrender to authorities.
Sky News reported that Zakrzewski had expressed a willingness to kill his family rather than face divorce. In his final moments before execution, he stated: “I want to thank the good people of the Sunshine State for killing me in the most cold, calculated, clean, humane, efficient way possible. I have no complaint.”
His execution proceeded after his last appeal to delay it was denied. Critics of the execution argued that the initial 7-5 jury decision for the death penalty would not hold under current legal standards. Before his execution, Florida officials shared that Zakrzewski’s last meal included fried pork chops, fried onions, potatoes, bacon, toast, root beer, ice cream, pie, and coffee.
Florida is on course to surpass Texas in the number of executions this year for the first time since 1984. Earlier, Governor Ron DeSantis emphasized the importance of bringing closure to victims’ families, some of whom have waited decades for justice. He remarked: “There are so some crimes that are just so horrific, the only appropriate punishment is the death penalty.”