The state of Florida has just carried out an execution on death row. Chadwick Scott Willisy was executed by lethal injection after spending 35 years awaiting his sentence. Stay with me because in this video I’ll walk you through all the details of his case, his execution, and the final words he spoke before dying.
To understand what happened, we first need to look at who Chadwick Scott Willisy [music] was. He was born and raised in Palm Bay, Florida, where he had what was described [music] as a normal childhood. However, according to reports, his life changed drastically toward the end of high school when he developed an addiction to crack cocaine.
This addiction led to a major shift in his behavior. He dropped out of school and began committing robberies to support his habit. On the other side of the story is the victim, Marus May Sather. She was 56 years old at the time of her [music] murder and was a respected member of the Palm Bay community where she worked as an office clerk.
She was a devoted mother and grandmother very close to her family. At that point in her life, she spent much of her time alone at home as she had been widowed just 2 months earlier after her husband died from liver cancer. Chadwick knew all of this as he lived right next door. For weeks, Willisy carefully studied Mariss’s schedule and daily routine, planning a robbery at her home.
On September 5th, 1990, he decided to break in, believing no one was there, hoping to get money to feed his [music] addiction. However, unexpectedly, Marles returned home early during her lunch break because she needed to take care of some [music] errands related to selling her car. When she walked in, she caught Willisy in the middle of the burglary.
Seeing him inside her home, Sather tried to talk to him. Despite his addiction, she had known him since he was young and attempted to calm the situation. But in a brutal turn of events, once he realized he had been caught, Willisy attacked her with extreme violence. He repeatedly struck her in the head with a blunt object with such force that it [music] fractured and displaced part of her skull.
Determined to eliminate the only witness who could identify him, he restrained her by tying her hands and feet with wire and tape. After a failed attempt to strangle her with a phone cord, Willisy poured gasoline over her, disabled the home smoke detectors, and set the house on fire. To make sure the flame spread quickly, he placed a fan at her feet.
The autopsy later revealed that Sather died from smoke inhalation, confirming she was still alive and conscious when the fire began. Before fleeing, he took everything of value he could find, loaded it into Sather’s car, and [music] escaped in the stolen vehicle. Chadwick Willisy was captured just one day after the crime.
It all began when his own girlfriend, Marica Walcott, found the victim’s checkbook in the trash at his home and alerted authorities. Investigators also found his fingerprints on the gasoline can and the fan used to fuel the fire. In addition, surveillance footage from an ATM showed him using Sather’s card with the stolen car visible in the background.
In 1991, a jury found him guilty and recommended the death penalty by a vote of 9 to3. However, that sentence was overturned by the Florida Supreme Court in 1994 due to a procedural error. The judge did not allow the defense to rehabilitate a potential juror who had expressed doubts about the death penalty [music] during jury selection.
In 1995, a new penalty phase trial was held before the same judge, Theren, despite the defense attempting to have him removed for alleged [music] bias. This time, prosecutors presented graphic videos and photographs showing the condition of the victim, while the defense argued that [music] the crime was the result of a crackinduced psychosis.
The new jury was more decisive, [music] recommending the death penalty by a vote of 11 to1, after which Willisy was formally sentenced to death. Willy spent more than three decades on death row. During that time, he underwent a spiritual transformation, converting to Islam and adopting the name Khalil. [music] Over the years, he sought to have his case reviewed under new legal rulings such as the Hurst decision, which requires unanimous jury recommendations for death sentences.
However, the courts rejected his appeals, ruling that his sentence had been final since 1997. On March 13th, 2026, Governor Ronda Santis signed his death warrant, triggering a final round of legal challenges. His attorneys argued that the state lacked transparency and requested access to records to verify the lethal injection protocol, citing concerns about potentially [music] expired or improperly administered drugs.
These requests were denied in the days leading up to the execution. Finally, on April 21st, 2026, Willisy woke up at 7:00 a.m. at Florida State Prison. In his final hours, he was visited by his mother, his [music] sisters, and a cousin. He remained calm and appeared resigned, especially after his last appeal was denied. In his final meal before the execution, Willisy requested fried chicken, French fries, ice cream, and cake. At 5:10 p.m.
he was escorted to the execution chamber and at 6:00 p.m. he was executed by lethal injection at Florida State Prison. Witnesses reported that Willisy appeared visibly nervous and he was lightly sedated to ensure he complied with the procedure. His death was officially pronounced at 6:15 p.m. When asked if he had any final words, he said, “To all my friends on death row, stay strong.
” He then added, “I would never kill a friend.” Referring to his neighbor. And finally, he said, “I hope this brings you peace. If it does, that’s okay. But this is not right.” Shortly after the lethal injection began, Willisy’s body shook and he appeared to groan for about 30 seconds before becoming still. A correctional officer shook him and called his [music] name, but there was no response.
His skin began to turn gray, and moments later, a doctor entered the chamber, examined him, and declared him dead. “Marley Sather’s only son witnessed the execution. Shortly afterward, he spoke through tears. “I wanted to make sure I saw the warden say he was dead,” said John Sather, 68. “I wanted to make sure my mother got justice for someone who walked [music] in and took her life in a matter of seconds.
” And this was the execution carried out today. Two more executions are scheduled for April 30th. One in Texas and another in Florida. Subscribe to stay updated on these upcoming cases.
