Billy Leon Kearse was executed for the 1991 killing of police officer Danny Parrish, utilizing his last assertion to apologise for what he had carried out
This undated and unlocated handout picture obtained from the Florida Division of Corrections on March 3, 2026 reveals Florida demise row inmate Billy L. Kearse. A 53-year-old man convicted of killing a police officer after snatching his gun was executed by deadly injection within the southern US state of Florida on March 3. Billy Kearse was pronounced lifeless at 6:24 pm (2324 GMT) on the state jail in Raiford, the Florida Division of Corrections mentioned. Kearse was sentenced to demise for fatally taking pictures the officer Danny Parrish after wrestling away his gun throughout a 1991 site visitors cease. (Picture by Florida Division of Corrections / AFP through Getty Photographs) / RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE – MANDATORY CREDIT “AFP PHOTO / Florida Division of Corrections” – HANDOUT – NO MARKETING NO ADVERTISING CAMPAIGNS – DISTRIBUTED AS A SERVICE TO CLIENTS (Picture: Florida Division of Correction)
A killer on demise row used his last phrases to precise remorse to the household of a police officer whom he fatally shot 35 years in the past.
Billy Leon Kearse was executed at this time for the homicide of Danny Parrish, thus turning into the third particular person to be put to demise by Florida this yr. The 53 yr previous man murmured an apology to the sufferer’s household, a few of whom have been current at Florida State Jail close to Starke, to witness Kearse obtain a three-drug injection, The Mirror studies.
PC Parrish’s widow, Mirtha Busbin, expressed shock at Kearse’s apology however emphasised that she might forgive him. She acknowledged: “I can forgive him, I can transfer on. It was the appropriate factor to do… It has been an extended, lengthy 35 years. We did not win something although; we misplaced one other life, however we did get justice.”
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Earlier than receiving the deadly injection, Kearse mentioned: “To his household, I sincerely apologise for what I’ve carried out. There is no such thing as a approach I can ever repay that.”
His last phrases referred to the 1991 incident when Kearse used PC Parrish’s personal service weapon to fireside 14 occasions following a automobile cease.
Law enforcement officials additionally assembled to witness the execution, supporting PC Parrish’s household. They proceed to advocate for harsher – and swifter – penalties for many who assault or assault law enforcement officials throughout the US.
PC Parrish, who additionally served as a sergeant within the US Military, had pulled over Kearse’s automobile after he had travelled the fallacious approach down a one-way avenue, and subsequently did not current the officer together with his driving licence. Kearse grabbed PC Parrish’s revolver after he lastly exited the automobile, and the legal discharged rounds on the officer.
A taxi driver heard the gunfire and summoned help utilizing the officer’s radio, however PC Parrish died after being transported to hospital. Police utilised registration plate particulars relayed by PC Parrish through the site visitors cease to apprehend Kearse at his residence.
Danny Parish, an officer with Fort Pierce Police Division and a sergeant within the U.S. Military, is pictured. Billy Leon Kearse was executed by deadly injection for the 1991 homicide of Danny Parrish, an Military sergeant and police officer who dreamed of turning into a dad. It is the third execution in Florida in 2026.https://eu.usatoday.com/story/information/nation/2026/03/03/billy-leon-kearse-danny-parrish-florida-execution/88968936007/ (Picture: Courtesy of Mirtha Busbin)
Kearse was initially discovered responsible of first-degree homicide and armed theft and handed the demise penalty in 1991. The Florida Supreme Court docket subsequently decided the trial court docket had failed to offer jurors with sure particulars concerning aggravating circumstances and ordered recent sentencing.
Kearse was once more handed the demise penalty in 1997.
A complete of 47 people have been executed within the US in 2025. Florida topped the record with a succession of demise warrants signed by Republican Governor Ron DeSantis, significantly exceeding Alabama, South Carolina and Texas which every carried out 5 executions final yr.
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The 19 Florida executions that yr surpassed the earlier report totals of eight in each 1984 and 2014.
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