A man who was found guilty and convicted of robbing, sexually assaulting and killing two women in 1996 was on Wednesday, October 4 executed by lethal injection.
Michael Zack, a native of Florida, United States, was executed at the Florida State Prison in Raiford Town, as reported by Pensacola News Journal.
When asked if he had any last words, Zack replied, “yes sir,” before lifting his head towards the observation window. “I love you all.”
The lethal drug cocktail, the newspaper says, was administered at 6:02 pm (1 am Kenyan time). The drug administered included a sedative, paralytic, and a drug to stop his heart.
Death in 12 minutes
The 54-year-old Zack was pronounced dead 12 minutes later.
A man known as “Bubba” to his sisters, and as “Hillbilly” to his fellow men on death row was sentenced to death in 1997 for the June 1996 sexual assault, robbery and murder of Ravonne Smith, a woman he met at a bar.
He was also convicted of the murder of Laura Rosillo, a woman who had befriended him at another bar.
Zack’s lawyers had sought to block his execution, arguing that at the time of the crimes he was suffering from fetal alcohol syndrome.
His appeals were denied by lower courts and eventually the Supreme Court.
‘Michael Zack found faith, love’
The group Floridians for Alternatives to the Death Penalty (FADP) released a final statement from Zack.
The group said that the 27 years Zack has been on death row “sadly have been the most stable, productive, and safest” period in his life.
While on a death row, Zack found faith, love, friendship, and education.
Zack’s last words
In his last words, as released by FADP, regretted that as an alcoholic he did things that have hurt a lot of people—not only the victims and their families and friends, but his own family and friends as well.
“I have woken up every single day since then filled with remorse and a wish to make my time here on earth mean something more than the worst thing I ever did.”
There have been six executions in Florida this year and 19 in the United States.
