UNITED STATES NEWS

Execution set for Florida man convicted of killing two women he met at beach bars in 1996

Aug 17, 2023, 4:29 PM | Updated: 4:48 pm

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) — A man convicted of killing two women he met at beach bars in the Florida Panhandle in 1996 is set to be executed under a death warrant signed Thursday by Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis.

Michael Duane Zack III’s lethal injection is scheduled for Oct. 3 at 6 p.m. It’s the sixth execution scheduled in Florida this year after a break dating back to 2019.

The scheduled execution of Zack, 54, would be the eighth under DeSantis. Though Florida has been executing death row inmates at a far slower pace than under its previous governors, DeSantis has made tougher, more far-reaching death penalty laws an issue in his presidential campaign.

According to court records, Zack went on a crime spree across the Florida Panhandle in June 1996. He had been living in Tallahassee when he borrowed a bartender’s car and never returned it, authorities said. Zack made his way toward Panama City, where the owner of a local construction business allowed Zack to stay in his house. Investigators said Zack stole two guns and some cash from the man and then went to Niceville, where he pawned the guns.

Zack eventually ended up in Okaloosa Island. Officials said he met Laurie Russillo, whom Zack strangled to death before leaving her body on the beach. Zack then drove to Pensacola Beach, where he met Ravonne Smith. Investigators said Zack sexually assaulted Smith and then fatally stabbed her at her home. Zack stole some electronics from Smith’s home and tried to pawn them in Panama City. He was arrested two days later after breaking into a house.

Zack was convicted of first-degree murder for both deaths. He received a life sentence for Russillo’s murder and the death penalty for Smith’s slaying.

Defense attorneys have argued that Zack suffers from fetal alcohol syndrome and posttraumatic stress disorder, which make Zack impulsive and cause him to be under constant emotional and mental distress.

Earlier this year in Florida, Donald Dillbeck was executed in February, and Louis Bernard Gaskin was executed in April. Darryl B. Barwick was executed in May, followed by Duane Eugene Owen in June. James Phillip Barnes was executed earlier this month.

United States News

Associated Press

Former Colombian military officer accused in base bombing extradited to Florida

MIAMI (AP) — A former Colombian military officer accused of injuring dozens, including three U.S. soldiers, in a bombing attack at a Colombian military base has been extradited to South Florida. A five-count indictment against Andres Fernando Medina Rodriguez, 39, was unsealed Friday in Miami federal court, according to court records. A federal grand jury […]

49 minutes ago

Associated Press

Los Angeles police searching for suspect in three fatal shootings of homeless people

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Los Angeles police are searching for a suspect in the fatal shootings of three homeless people in separate incidents around the city, authorities announced Friday. All three shootings occurred in the early morning hours over several days in November, Police Chief Michel Moore said at a news conference along with Mayor […]

1 hour ago

Associated Press

US expels an ex-Chilean army officer accused of a folk singer’s torture and murder

MIAMI (AP) — The U.S. has expelled a former Chilean Army officer accused of torturing and killing folk singer Victor Jara during the country’s bloody 1973 coup. Pedro Barrientos had emigrated to Florida in 1990, the same year the bloody dictatorship of Gen. Augusto Pinochet came to an end. This year, he was stripped of […]

1 hour ago

Associated Press

Guest lineups for the Sunday news shows

WASHINGTON (AP) — ABC’s “This Week” — White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby; Ron Dermer, Israeli minister of strategic affairs; Sen. James Lankford, R-Okla. ___ NBC’s “Meet the Press” — Kirby; Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, a Republican presidential candidate; Allyson Felix, Olympic gold medalist and Black maternal health advocate. ___ CBS’ “Face the […]

2 hours ago

Associated Press

Movie armorer in ‘Rust’ fatal shooting pleads not guilty to unrelated gun charge

SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — The weapons supervisor on the film set where Alec Baldwin shot and killed a cinematographer in 2021 waived her arraignment in a separate case, pleading not guilty to a charge of carrying a gun into a Santa Fe bar. Hannah Gutierrez-Reed had been set to appear in court next week […]

2 hours ago

Associated Press

UN ends political mission in Sudan, where world hasn’t been able to stop bloodshed

UNITED NATIONS (AP) — The United Nations Security Council voted Friday to end its political mission of a few hundred people dedicated to ending the civil war in Sudan. Russia abstained from the unanimous vote to end UNITAMS, the United Nations Integrated Transition Assistance Mission in Sudan. The United States’ and United Kingdom’s ambassadors expressed […]

2 hours ago

Sponsored Articles

...

Desert Institute for Spine Care

Desert Institute for Spine Care (DISC) wants to help Valley residents address back, neck issues through awake spine surgery

As the weather begins to change, those with back issues can no longer rely on the dry heat to aid their backs. That's where DISC comes in.

...

Midwestern University

Midwestern University: innovating Arizona health care education

Midwestern University’s Glendale Campus near Loop 101 and 59th Avenue is an established leader in health care education and one of Arizona’s largest and most valuable health care resources.

...

DAY & NIGHT AIR CONDITIONING, HEATING AND PLUMBING

Importance of AC maintenance after Arizona’s excruciating heat wave

An air conditioning unit in Phoenix is vital to living a comfortable life inside, away from triple-digit heat.

Execution set for Florida man convicted of killing two women he met at beach bars in 1996