Astonishing Sharpie trick murder victim's family used to get Florida Governor Ron DeSantis to fast-track killer's death penalty, as Sunshine State becomes execution factory

By WILL POTTER, US SENIOR NEWS REPORTER Published: 16:05, 1 July 2026 | Updated: 16:08, 1 July 2026 The family of a Florida murder victim gifted Ron DeSantis personalized Sharpies for signing death warrants in a successful bid to fast-track the killer's execution.  The February death by lethal injection of convicted killer Ronald Heath, 64, came amid a surge in executions pushed forwards by DeSantis as he prepares to leave the Florida Governor's office.  Heath was convicted over the murder of traveling salesman Michael Sheridan in 1989, and he exhausted his appeals trying to stay his execution before DeSantis signed his death warrant this year. Unlike in most other states, Florida's governor has the power to set execution dates for death row inmates, giving DeSantis the authority to decide the fates of dozens of killers.  DeSantis has used this power to make Florida the execution capital of America, with 19 inmates put to death in 2025 - accounting for 40 percent of all executions in the United States.  The power to unilaterally set execution dates reportedly led Sheridan's family to woo DeSantis by gifting him custom blue Sharpies, his pen of choice for signing legislation and death warrants, reports the New York Times.  The gambit worked, as DeSantis promptly fast-tracked Heath's death warrant and he became the first inmate to be executed in Florida this year.   Insiders said the move was indicative of DeSantis's strong support for the death penalty in a legacy move as he readies to leave office, when he is term-limited in January 2027. They've speculated that he wants to be the next US Attorney General, with President Donald Trump an outspoken supporter of capital punishment.  The family of a Florida murder victim gifted Ron DeSantis personalized sharpies for signing death warrants in an attempt to get him to fast-track the killer's execution, reports say  The family of traveling salesman Michael Sheridan, who was murdered in 1989, gave DeSantis the personalized gift to woo him into signing the death warrant for Sheridan's killer  Sheridan's killer, Ronald Heath, was executed in February aged 64 after DeSantis reportedly fast-tracked his death penalty using the power of the Florida Governor's office The total of 19 executions pushed forward by DeSantis in 2025 broke the state's annual record of 11, which was set back in 1936.  DeSantis's affinity for executions stands in stark contrast to most other governors, including many Republicans, who have walked back the death penalty across the nation.  At least 33 states have either not carried out an execution in at least a decade or abolished the practice entirely, with the number of people sentenced to death also dropping sharply.  Compared to 1995, when 307 people were sentenced to death, just 23 people received the punishment in the US last year, per data from the Death Penalty Information Center.  Experts said DeSantis has wielded his power over executions in a freestyle-manner, with attorneys and the families of victims attempting to attract his attention - or avoid it - as cases move through the courts.  The length of time an inmate has spent on death row does not appear to play a role in DeSantis's decisions, the Times noted, leaving many to try and gauge how the governor will choose the next inmate to be executed. 'He could be deciding who is next to die by throwing darts at a list of names, or spinning a roulette wheel,' Maria DeLiberato, an attorney with the ACLU's Capital Punishment Project, told the Times.  Pictured: The death warrant DeSantis approved for Ronald Heath, signed in blue Sharpie  Executions in Florida are carried out at Florida State Prison (FSP) in Raiford, Florida  The surge in executions in Florida comes amid scrutiny on the death penalty practices across the nation, with a number of lethal injections going wrong in recent years due to complications with the cocktail of drugs used. In 2022, this led the execution of killer Joe Nathan James to become the longest in US history, as he endured an agonizing three-hour ordeal while strapped to a gurney before eventually dying.  Following the execution of Heath in February, the next inmate put to death in Florida, Billy Kearse, took twice as long as usual, allegedly due to the same issues.  Attorneys for another Florida death row inmate, Chadwick Willacy, requested records about the state's execution practices to prove this, and just one week later DeSantis signed Willacy's death warrant.  The surge in executions in Florida comes amid scrutiny on the death penalty practices across the nation, with the execution of Joe Nathan James (pictured) becoming the longest in US history in 2022 due to issues with the lethal injection drugs  Following the execution of Heath in February, the next inmate put to death in Florida, Billy Kearse, took twice as long as usual, allegedly due to issues with lethal injection drugs  The example has reportedly added to fears that moves they make in court, including filing appeals or legal challenges, could draw DeSantis's attention and lead him to fast-track certain inmates.  In the face of some criticisms over his urgency to execute Florida's killers, DeSantis defended the practice, and said meeting with victims' families convinced him of the importance to do so. 'There’s a saying: Justice delayed is justice denied,' DeSantis told the Times.  'We’re doing it to be able to bring justice to the victims’ families.' DeSantis's head of communications, Alex Lanfranconi, added: 'My advice to those who are seeking to avoid the death penalty in Florida would be to not murder people.'  The Daily Mail has contacted DeSantis's office for comment.   The comments below have not been moderated. The views expressed in the contents above are those of our users and do not necessarily reflect the views of MailOnline. By posting your comment you agree to our house rules. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? 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