A man convicted of fatally shooting a police officer with his own service weapon during a 1991 traffic stop was executed Tuesday evening in Florida. He becomes the third person put to death by the state this year, following a record 19 executions in 2025.
Billy Leon Kearse, 53, was pronounced dead at 6:24 p.m. at Florida State Prison near Starke. He was condemned for the shooting death of Fort Pierce Police Officer Danny Parrish. The execution was carried out via a three-drug lethal injection.
The process began just after 6 p.m. When the warden asked if he had any final words, Kearse addressed the family of Officer Parrish.
“To his family, I sincerely apologize for what I’ve done,” Kearse said. “There is no way I can ever repay that.”
More than a dozen family members and police officers gathered to observe the execution. Witnesses reported that Kearse twitched briefly after the drugs began entering his system but stopped moving several minutes later. A medic entered the room roughly 15 minutes later to officially pronounce him dead.
READ: Florida High Court Weighs Fate Of Michael King As Execution For Murder Of Denise Amber Lee Looms
The 1991 Shooting
According to court records, the incident began in January 1991 when Officer Parrish pulled Kearse over for driving the wrong way on a one-way street. When Kearse could not produce a valid driver’s license, Parrish ordered him out of the vehicle.
A struggle ensued as the officer attempted to handcuff him. During the fight, Kearse grabbed Parrish’s service weapon and fired 14 times. Prosecutors stated that the officer was struck nine times in the body and four times in his body armor. A taxi driver who heard the shots used the officer’s radio to call for help, but Parrish died after being rushed to a hospital.
Police were able to arrest Kearse at his home using license plate information that Parrish had called in during the initial stop.
Legal History and Execution Trends
Kearse was first convicted and sentenced to death in 1991. However, the Florida Supreme Court later ordered a new sentencing phase because the trial court had failed to provide jurors with specific information regarding aggravating circumstances. He was sentenced to death a second time in 1997.
Hours before Tuesday’s execution, the U.S. Supreme Court rejected Kearse’s final appeal without comment. The Florida Supreme Court had also denied his appeals last week.
Florida continues to lead the nation in capital punishment under a flurry of death warrants signed by Governor Ron DeSantis. The 19 executions in Florida last year significantly outpaced totals in Alabama, South Carolina, and Texas, which each held five.
Two more executions are scheduled in Florida for later this month. Michael Lee King is set for execution on March 17 for a 2008 kidnapping and murder, followed by James Duckett on March 31 for a 1987 killing.
Please make a small donation to the Tampa Free Press to help sustain independent journalism. Your contribution enables us to continue delivering high-quality, local, and national news coverage.
Sign up: Subscribe to our free newsletter for a curated selection of top stories delivered straight to your inbox
