Florida Inmate Convicted of Family Murders Utters Haunting Final Words Before Execution

Edward Zakrzewski, a Florida death row inmate convicted of killing his wife and two young children more than 30 years ago, was executed on July 31, 2025, at Florida State Prison in Starke. His death marked Florida’s ninth execution this year—setting a new annual record for the state since the reinstatement of the death penalty in 1976. Florida now leads the nation in executions for 2025, surpassing the previous record of eight executions in 2014. Texas and South Carolina are tied for second place.

Zakrzewski, 60, was convicted in 1994 for the gruesome murders of his wife, Sylvia, and their children—Edward, age 7, and Anna, age 5—at their home in Okaloosa County on June 9, 1993. Court records and testimony revealed that Zakrzewski killed his wife with a crowbar, strangled her with a rope, and struck her with a machete to ensure she was dead. He then turned the machete on his children.

Prosecutors said the murders occurred after Sylvia expressed her intent to file for divorce, and that Zakrzewski had previously stated he would rather kill his family than let that happen.

Following the murders, Zakrzewski fled to a religious commune on Molokai Island in Hawaii, living under an assumed name. His identity was uncovered after a TV program featured the case, prompting him to surrender to authorities. Over the next several decades, his legal team pursued numerous appeals, including a final attempt to halt the execution, which was denied shortly before his scheduled death.

He was executed by lethal injection at approximately 6:12 p.m. Eastern time, receiving a combination of drugs—a sedative, a paralytic, and a chemical to stop the heart. Witnesses reported that Zakrzewski remained composed and quoted from a poem prior to the procedure. His last meal included fried pork chops, root beer, and ice cream.

In a final statement that drew attention for its cold and ironic tone, Zakrzewski said, “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.”

His execution came during a year in which Florida has faced growing scrutiny over its accelerated use of capital punishment. The state’s high execution rate is part of a broader national increase in executions not seen in recent years.