Michael Duane Zack III, a convicted murderer, was executed by lethal injection on Tuesday evening at the Florida State Prison, according to the Florida Department of Corrections. Zack was found guilty of the 1996 killings of two women he met at bars along the Florida Panhandle.
Prior to his execution, Zack met with his wife and spiritual adviser and declined a last meal. His request for a stay of execution was denied by the US Supreme Court on Monday. Zack’s lawyers had argued that he is intellectually disabled, but the lower court rejected this claim.
Zack’s defense counsel had previously argued that he suffers from fetal alcohol syndrome and posttraumatic stress disorder, which they claimed were brain dysfunctions and mental impairments. However, the state of Florida opposed the stay of execution.
In 1997, Zack was convicted and sentenced to death for the murder of Ravonne Smith, whom he killed in her home after meeting at a bar near Pensacola. He also received a life sentence for the murder of Laura Rosillo at a beach in Okaloosa County.
Zack’s execution marks the eighth under Governor Ron DeSantis and the sixth in Florida this year.