Veterans on Florida's Death Row, Part V

This is Part V of the latest series from Tracking Florida’s Death Penalty: Veterans on Florida’s Death Row, exploring information about veterans who are or have been on Florida's death row.

This is Part V of the latest series from Tracking Florida’s Death Penalty: Veterans on Florida’s Death Row.¹ In case you missed it, Part I addressed the veterans who have been executed in the State of Florida; it is available here. Part II addressed the veterans who died while on Florida’s death row; it is available here. Part III addressed the 2 veterans who have been exonerated from Florida’s death row as well as the first part of the veterans currently on Florida’s death row; it is available here. Part IV addressed the second group of veterans currently on Florida’s death row; it is available here.

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Currently on Death Row

Several prisoners currently on Florida’s death row are U.S. military veterans. The list is in alphabetical order by last name and will be split into parts, as it is too long to be included in just one post. Part III covered A-J. Part IV covered K-P. This post covers Q-Z. The entire list of Florida’s death row prisoners can be found on the Department of Corrections website here.

William Reaves (Indian River County)

William Reaves was sentenced to death for killing an Indian River County deputy sheriff on September 23, 1986. According to the record, Reaves served in Vietnam and was “honorably discharged from military service.”² He began using “heavy drugs” toward the “end of his service in Vietnam.”³

Reaves is 76 years old.

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Dennis Sochor (Broward County)

Dennis Sochor was sentenced to death following a jury’s recommendation for death by a vote of 10-2. According to the record, Sochor served in the Army before being discharged. Upon discharge, the Army recommended that Sochor receive psychiatric treatment. On postconviction, the Florida Supreme Court wrote of the evidence presented at the penalty phase:

[H]is parents noticed that he changed after he was discharged from the army—specifically, he became violent, especially when under the influence of alcohol; at one point, his parents thought he needed psychiatric help and were able to get him involuntarily committed to a hospital, but he was quickly released when the hospital told the family that although he needed psychiatric help, he was ‘not severe enough’ to be kept there; and he attempted to commit suicide.⁴

Sochor is 72 years old.

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David Sparre (Duval County)

In March 2012, David Sparre was sentenced to death for crimes that occurred in July 2010. The jury unanimously recommended a sentence of death.⁵ In sentencing Sparre, the trial court considered Sparre’s serving in the Army National Guard as mitigation.⁶

Sparre is 33 years old.

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Dusty Spencer (Orange County)

Dusty Spencer was sentenced to death for murdering his wife in 1992 following a jury’s recommendation for death by a vote of 7-5.⁷ On direct appeal, the Florida Supreme Court vacated the sentence of death and remanded for reconsideration. The trial court again sentenced Spencer to death. His sentence became final in 1997.⁸ As mitigation, the trial court considered Spencer’s “honorable military record.”⁹

Spencer turned 73 on February 13.

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Jason Walton (Pinellas County)

Jason Walton was convicted of three counts of first-degree murder and sentenced to death on each count for crimes that occurred in 1982. On direct appeal in 1985, the Florida Supreme Court vacated Walton’s sentences and remanded for a new penalty phase.¹⁰ After a second penalty phase, the jury again recommended death. Walton was again sentenced to death. The Florida Supreme Court affirmed the sentences on direct appeal in 1989.¹¹

On postconviction, Walton argued that more information counsel was ineffective for failing to present evidence of “his heroic military service and the trauma he suffered while serving,” among other information.¹²

Walton is 66 years old.

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Edward Zakrzewski (Okaloosa County)

Zakrzewski pled guilty to killing his wife and two children in 1994. “[T]he jury recommended death for the murders of Zakrzewski's wife and son by a 7–5 vote, and life in prison without possibility of parole for [his daughter’s] murder. The court sentenced Zakrzewski to death for all three murders” meaning his third sentence of death is the result of a judicial override.¹³ Zakrzewski was serving in the Air Force at the time of the murders.¹⁴ At sentencing, the trial court considered Zakrzewski’s “exemplary [service] in the United States Air Force” as mitigation.¹⁵

In January, Zakrzewski turned 60 years old.

1. Due to the age of some records and the unavailability of some information, it is possible that the lists in this series are incomplete. If you know of a veteran who is not included on the lists in this series, please let me know. Also, for purposes of thoroughness, this series includes those who were discharged from the military.

2. Reaves v. State, 826 So. 2d 932, 935-36 (Fla. 2002).

3. Id. at 937.

4. Sochor v. State, 883 So. 2d 766, 774 (Fla. 2004).

5. Sparre v. State, 164 So. 3d 1183, 1191 (Fla. 2015).

6. Id. at 1192.

7. Spencer v. State, 842 So. 2d 52, 59 (Fla. 2003).

8. Spencer v. State, 259 So. 3d 712, 713 (Fla. 2018).

9. Id. at 715 n.4 (Pariente, J., dissenting).

10. See generally Walton v. State, 481 So. 2d 1197 (Fla. 1985).

11. See generally Walton v. State, 547 So. 2d 622 (Fla. 1989).

12. Walton v. State, 77 So. 3d 639, 643 (Fla. 2011).

13. Zakrzewski v. McDonough, 455 F.3d 1254, 1257 (11th Cir. 2006).

14. Id. at 1260.

15. Zakrzewski v. State, 717 So. 2d 488 (Fla. 1998).