In a significant development in Florida’s judicial landscape, Edward Zakrzewski, convicted of the horrific 1994 machete murders of his wife and two young children, became the ninth individual executed in the state this year, marking an unprecedented single-year total since the reinstatement of capital punishment in the United States decades ago.

The execution of the sixty-year-old Zakrzewski took place at Florida State Prison near Starke, where he was pronounced dead following a three-drug lethal injection. This event surpassed Florida’s previous high of eight executions in 2014, a figure matched earlier this year before Thursday’s record-setting execution.

As the curtain to the death chamber rose, Zakrzewski’s final words were notably chilling: “I want to thank the good people of the Sunshine State for killing me in the most cold, calculated, clean, humane, efficient way possible. I have no complaint,” a statement that immediately garnered widespread attention.

Florida’s aggressive stance on capital punishment this year stands out, with the state leading the nation in executions. In comparison, Texas and South Carolina currently share the second spot with four executions each, underscoring Florida’s unique position in the enforcement of the death penalty.

Zakrzewski’s conviction stemmed from the brutal June 9, 1994, slayings of his 34-year-old wife Sylvia, and their children, Edward, aged seven, and Anna, aged five, at their home in the Florida Panhandle. Trial testimony revealed that the murders were precipitated by his wife’s pursuit of a divorce, with Zakrzewski reportedly having previously stated he would kill his family rather than allow such a separation.

Court records detailed a horrifying sequence of events: Sylvia was initially attacked with a crowbar and subsequently strangled. Both children were then killed with a machete, and Sylvia was also struck with the blade again when Zakrzewski believed she had survived the initial assault, painting a grim picture of premeditated violence.

Over the years, Zakrzewski’s legal team mounted numerous appeals, challenging his murder conviction and death sentence. However, each appeal, including a final plea for a stay of execution, was ultimately denied by the Supreme Court, allowing the state’s judicial process to proceed to its conclusion.

This Florida execution contributes to the national count, where 26 individuals have been executed this year across the U.S. Further executions are scheduled in Florida for August, with additional individuals under death warrants signed by Governor Ron DeSantis, signaling continued activity in the state’s capital punishment system.

Opponents of Zakrzewski’s execution highlighted several contentious points, including his military service as an Air Force veteran and the divided jury vote of 7-5 that recommended his execution. They argued that under current Florida law, such a split jury vote would not permit the imposition of the death penalty Florida, raising questions about the historical application of justice in this specific murder conviction case.