Convicted murderer Donald Dillbeck shared his last words before being executed – and they focused on Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R).
The Tallahassee Democrat reported Dillbeck used his last words to say, “I know I hurt people when I was young. I really messed up.”
He added, “But I know Ron DeSantis has done a lot worse. He’s taken a lot from a lot of people. I speak for all men, women and children. He’s put his foot on our necks. Ron DeSantis and other people like him can (expletive).”
The convicted murderer the state of Florida executed tonight, Donald Dillbeck, used his last words to criticize Gov. Ron DeSantis.
— Kathryn Varn (@kathrynvarn) February 23, 2023
Dillbeck was pronounced dead at 6:13 p.m. https://t.co/9WysZysb1q pic.twitter.com/kIsDtXIqz8
The outlet noted Dillbeck, 59, was executed Thursday evening by lethal injection with the official time of death being 6:13 p.m.
Last month, DeSantis signed Dillbeck’s death warrant.
Dillbeck was convicted of stabbing and killing a woman named Faye Lamb Vann in 1990 after escaping from custody while serving a life sentence for the murder of Lee County Deputy Dwight Lynn Hall.
Family members of Vann issued a statement on Dillbeck.
“11,932 days ago Donald Dillbeck brutally killed our mother,” Tony and Laura Vann wrote, per The Tallahassee Democrat.
They continued, “We were robbed of years of memories with her and it has been very painful ever since. However, the execution has given us some closure.”
Additionally, one of the men who worked with the deputy spoke out about the execution.
“This has been 44 years of waiting,” Bill Rogers said. “We’re the old guys now.”
Rogers explained, “One person’s bad enough. But he did two, and he did the second brutal.”
He continued, “Nobody should ever be ecstatic about somebody being put to death, but there had to be consequences.”
As the outlet noted, the execution marks the first in more than three years for Florida.
Additionally, it is the 100th since the Supreme Court allowed executions to resume in 1975.