JUST IN: Florida Has Executed Serial Killer Ronald Heath by Lethal Injection
This man has just been executed for a series of brutal crimes that began with the murder of multiple victims. His name was Ronald Palmer Heath and today he received a lethal injection at Florida State Prison after spending 30 years on death row. >> [music] >> In this video we will examine his last known words, his final meal and the crimes that led him to the execution chamber.
On December 17th, 1977 in Jacksonville, Florida a 16-year-old teenager named Ronald Palmer Heath committed his first murder. The victim was Michael Green, an 18-year-old young man Heath had met earlier that same day. The two spent several hours together and appeared to have become friends [music] though the true motive behind the killing was never fully clarified.
Heath later claimed that he attacked Green because according to him the victim made sexual advances toward him. He stabbed Green repeatedly though the initial wounds were not fatal. Instead of seeking help or fleeing Heath placed the severely injured young man into his car and drove aimlessly through the streets of Jacksonville for more than an hour seemingly unable to confront what he had done.
Eventually Heath stopped the vehicle, pulled Green out and stabbed him multiple times again. He then attempted to set the car on fire with Green inside but the victim managed to escape the flames. The violence did not end there. Heath caught up with him, stabbed him once more and in a final act of extreme brutality beat him to death with a tree branch leaving his body at the scene.
The sheer savagery of the crime committed by someone so young shocked the court. Heath pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and at just 16 years old was sentenced to 30 years in prison. However, he served only about a decade. In 1988 he was released on parole nearly 20 years early a decision that would later have fatal consequences.
>> [music] >> Ronald Heath had been free for only 6 months when he killed again. On the night of May 24th, 1989 Heath then 28 years old was at the Purple Porpoise Lounge a bar in Gainesville, Florida with his younger brother Kenneth Heath who was 24. The brothers lived a transient lifestyle.
They worked sporadically, drank heavily and that night they were not simply looking for entertainment. Also inside the bar was Michael Sheridan, a 30-year-old traveling salesman from Atlanta, Georgia who had stopped there to eat dinner and have a few drinks. Sheridan was outgoing and trusting. He quickly struck up a conversation with the Heath brothers, bought them a drink and asked if they had marijuana or were interested in smoking.
For Ronald Heath that exchange was enough. Quietly he suggested to his brother that they take Sheridan to a secluded location with the intention of robbing him. Kenneth agreed. The three men left the bar in Kenneth’s vehicle though Ronald took the driver’s seat. He drove them to a remote wooded area south of Gainesville [music] in Alachua County.
Once there they got out of the car and smoked marijuana for several minutes appearing calm and relaxed as if nothing was about to happen. When Ronald decided the time had come he signaled his brother with a hand gesture shaped like a gun silently asking if he had the weapon. Kenneth then pulled out a .
38 caliber revolver and aimed it at Michael Sheridan demanding his wallet, his gold chain and his watch. Sheridan refused confused and in shock unable to fully grasp what was happening. Following Ronald’s instructions Kenneth shot Sheridan in the chest. The salesman collapsed to the ground [music] clutching his wound and crying out in pain as he struggled to remove his jewelry and empty his pockets.
For Ronald it wasn’t happening fast enough. He walked up to the victim, kicked him as he lay on the ground >> [music] >> and pulled out a hunting knife. He attempted to slit Sheridan’s throat but the blade was too dull. After failing >> [music] >> Ronald ordered his brother to finish the job. Kenneth complied.
He fired two shots into Michael Sheridan’s head killing him at the scene. After the murder the Heath brothers concealed Sheridan’s body in thick brush in the wooded area. They then returned to the Purple Porpoise Lounge where they stole items from the victim’s rental car. Michael Sheridan’s body was discovered on May 30th, 1989 in an advanced [music] state of decomposition.
The medical examiner determined that death had occurred between 3 and 10 days earlier and was caused by multiple gunshot wounds and a deep stab wound to the neck. Just 2 days after killing Sheridan the Heath brothers murdered again. On May 26th, 1989 Ronald and Kenneth met 26-year-old Anthony Hammett at a bar in the Arlington neighborhood of Jacksonville.
>> [music] >> Following the same pattern they convinced him to leave the bar and drove him to a secluded area. When Hammett realized he was being robbed and tried to run he was executed with a single gunshot to the back. His body was left at the scene. Ronald Heath was formally charged with the murder of Anthony Hammett.
However, prosecutors later dropped the charges when Kenneth Heath again refused to testify against his brother claiming he had received threats against his life. The decision left the crime without a conviction and the Hammett family without justice. [music] In the case of Michael Sheridan the police investigation moved forward because of a simple >> [music] >> but critical mistake.
The Heath brothers attempted to use one of Sheridan’s stolen credit cards to purchase a car stereo. The transaction was declined triggering an alert that drew the attention of investigators. From that moment on the Gainesville Police Department working alongside the Alachua County Sheriff’s Office >> [music] >> tracked the purchases made with Michael Sheridan’s credit cards at Oaks Mall.
This trail allowed investigators to reconstruct the suspects’ movements after the murder and begin connecting the key pieces of the case. Several weeks after the killing Ronald Heath was located and arrested in Douglas, Georgia. He was living in a trailer with a woman identified as Powell.
During the arrest officers recovered clothing purchased with the stolen credit cards, Michael Sheridan’s watch and other items directly linked to the homicide. Kenneth Heath was also taken into custody and charged for his role in the murder effectively closing the main circle of suspects in the Sheridan case. Ronald Palmer Heath’s trial took place in 1990 in an Alachua County courtroom in Florida.
[music] The central pillar of the prosecution’s case was the testimony of Kenneth Heath, Ronald’s younger brother who agreed to a plea deal. In exchange for testifying against Ronald he would receive a life sentence and avoid the death penalty. On November 15th, 1990 the jury found Ronald Heath guilty of first-degree murder.
Two days later on December 17th, 1990 Judge Robert Kates sentenced him to death for the murder of Michael Sheridan. Ronald Heath spent more than 35 years on death row. During that time his attorneys filed multiple appeals and legal challenges in an effort to overturn the conviction. All were denied. The Florida Supreme Court rejected [music] his requests repeatedly including his final appeal in January 2026.
His younger [music] brother Kenneth Heath is serving a life sentence at Tomoka Correctional Institution. Under the terms of his plea agreement [music] he became eligible for parole after serving 25 years in prison. Although that period has already passed there is no public information confirming that he has been released.
Finally on January 9th, 2026 [music] Florida Governor Ron DeSantis signed Ronald Palmer Heath’s death warrant the first execution order of the year in the state. The execution was scheduled for Tuesday, February 10th, 2026 at 6:00 p.m. Eastern Time at Florida State Prison located near the city of Starke in Bradford County.
Tuesday, February 10th, 2026 marked the day of Ronald Palmer Heath’s execution. He was 64 years old. He woke up at 7:00 a.m., took a shower, >> [music] >> read the Bible and received a single visit that of his spiritual adviser. The day before Heath had eaten his last meal. As his special request he chose hamburgers with french fries.
At 3:00 p.m. he was removed from his cell in preparation for the execution scheduled for 6:00 p.m. >> [music] >> The method was lethal injection carried out under a three-drug protocol at Florida State Prison. At 5:50 p.m. Heath was escorted into the execution chamber. >> [music] >> At 6:00 p.m.
efforts began to establish intravenous lines. After several minutes the drugs began to flow. The entire procedure lasted approximately 6 minutes. During that time Heath moved slightly, gasped and frowned showing minimal signs of discomfort before losing consciousness. He remained silent with his eyes closed throughout the process. Asked by the warden if Heath had any final statement he said “I’m sorry. That’s all I can say.
Thank you.” At 6:30 p.m. a physician officially pronounced him dead. Among the witnesses were Thomas and Nancy Sheridan the brother and sister of Michael Sheridan. Both grew up in upstate New York and spent decades fighting to see Ronald Heath’s execution carried out sending letters and making repeated calls to the Florida Governor’s Office.
For them that day marked the end of a wait that had lasted more than 30 years. This concludes the story of Ronald Palmer Heath, executed for the murder of Michael Sheridan. What do you think about this case? Let me know in the comments.
