by Tallahassee, Florida — State officials have announced a December execution date for a man convicted of killing two people during a violent home-invasion robbery and later admitting responsibility for several additional homicides across the Florida Panhandle.
Gov. Ron DeSantis signed the latest death warrant on Tuesday, extending a year already marked by a historic number of executions in the state.
Execution Scheduled Under New Death Warrant
According to the warrant, 58-year-old Frank Athen Walls is set to be executed by lethal injection on December 18 at Florida State Prison. If carried out, Walls will become the 19th person scheduled for execution in Florida in 2025, marking an unprecedented pace under DeSantis’ administration.
Historical data shows that no Florida governor has signed as many death warrants in a single year since the death penalty was reinstated nationwide in 1976.
The previous annual record — eight executions in 2014 — has been more than doubled, signaling the governor’s continued support for expedited capital punishment in qualifying cases.
The announcement comes just days before the execution of Richard Barry Randolph and shortly after the scheduling of another condemned inmate, Mark Allen Geralds, who is slated for execution on December 9.
Background of the Case
Walls’ case began in July 1987, when authorities responded to reports of a double homicide inside a mobile home near Eglin Air Force Base.
At the time, investigators determined that Walls had broken into the residence occupied by Edward Alger, an airman stationed at the base, and his girlfriend Ann Peterson. Both victims were found tied up and fatally wounded.
Court records show that Alger managed to free himself during the home invasion and attempted to fight back. Walls cut Alger’s throat and later shot him after the airman continued to resist. Peterson was also fatally shot during the struggle.
Walls was arrested the next day after his roommate notified police about what was described as highly unusual behavior. During a search of the home, investigators recovered multiple items linked to the crime scene. Walls later confessed to the killings in detailed statements to authorities.
Additional Killings and Legal Proceedings
Walls’ conviction story did not end with the home-invasion case. After he was sentenced to death in 1988, the Florida Supreme Court overturned the verdict, ordering a new trial. The retrial in 1992 resulted in another conviction and a renewed death sentence.
During the years that followed, Walls became tied to additional unsolved cases. DNA evidence later linked him to the May 1987 rape and murder of Audrey Gygi, a case he ultimately resolved by pleading no contest — a move that allowed him to avoid another capital trial.
He also admitted responsibility for the deaths of Tommie Lou Whiddon (1985) and Cynthia Sue Condra (1986) as part of an agreement reached with prosecutors, though those admissions did not result in additional death sentences.
“Walls’ case spans decades of appeals, forensic developments, and multiple admissions in previously unsolved homicides,” according to court filings accessible via the Florida Supreme Court’s online docket.
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Attorneys representing Walls are expected to file new appeals to both the state Supreme Court and the U.S. Supreme Court in the coming weeks. These filings commonly focus on issues such as legal procedure, new evidence, constitutional claims, or questions surrounding execution protocols.
Florida Leads the Nation in 2025 Executions
With Walls’ execution date now set, the United States has recorded at least 43 executions in 2025, with Florida leading all states by a large margin. The most recent execution carried out in the state occurred on November 13, when Bryan Frederick Jennings was put to death for the rape and murder of his neighbor.
Florida’s aggressive schedule of executions this year has drawn national attention, generating renewed discussions about capital punishment policies, judicial backlog, and the long-term implications of accelerated death-penalty enforcement.
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