Florida Signs Death Warrant for Willie Seth Crain Jr. in 1998 Amanda Brown Murder, Execution Set for December 10
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis signed a death warrant on November 10, 2026, in Tallahassee scheduling Willie Seth Crain Jr. for execution by lethal injection at 6 p.m. on December 10 at Florida State Prison in Raiford. Crain is 80 years old.
In 1998, seven-year-old Amanda Brown of Hillsborough County was kidnapped and murdered; her body was never found. In 1999, a jury convicted Crain of first-degree murder and sentenced him to death, with a life sentence on the kidnapping charge. The sentence survived repeated appeals.
The Florida Supreme Court has set an expedited schedule for the case: initial proceedings are to conclude by November 25 and briefs are due by December 1, so final challenges can be resolved before the scheduled execution date.
Two other Florida executions are scheduled ahead of Crain's: Overton on November 19 and Gonzalez on December 1. If all proceed, Crain would be the 22nd person executed in Florida in 2026; the state has carried out 19 executions this year, tying its annual record.
Florida is among the most active death-penalty states in the country. Under the supreme court's expedited calendar, the remaining litigation in Crain's case will play out over the next two weeks, with any stay to be decided before December 10.
Source: Office of the Governor of Florida
Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 图片来源：Wikimedia Commons「Florida’s Historic Capitol and Florida State Capitol 1.JPG」（Michael Rivera 摄，CC BY-SA 3.0），图中为佛罗里达州议会大厦（新旧两栋），位于 Tallahassee Image: Wikimedia Commons "Florida’s Historic Capitol and Florida State Capitol 1.JPG" (by Michael Rivera, CC BY-SA 3.0), showing the Florida Historic Capitol and State Capitol in Tallahassee
