**Florida Executes Edward Zakrzewski Over Two Decades After Conviction for Family Murders**
Edward Zakrzewski, a Death Row inmate convicted of brutally murdering his wife and two young children, was executed in Florida on July 31—more than 20 years after his sentencing.
The 60-year-old became the ninth person executed in the state this year, with two more executions scheduled for August. His death was carried out via a three-drug lethal injection: a sedative, a paralytic, and a heart-stopping agent. He was pronounced dead shortly afterward.
Zakrzewski was sentenced to death in 1994 for the killings of his wife, Sylvia, and their two children, aged five and seven. After committing the murders, he fled to Hawaii’s Molokai Island, where he managed to remain hidden for four months until a minister recognized him from an episode of *Unsolved Mysteries*. He later surrendered to authorities, reportedly confessing that he chose to murder his family rather than face a divorce.
His final legal effort to delay the execution failed earlier this week, clearing the way for his death. His execution marks a grim milestone for Florida, now setting a new record for executions in a single year—surpassing the state’s previous record of eight executions in 2014. This puts Florida on track to surpass Texas in annual executions for the first time since 1984.
Prison officials shared that Zakrzewski’s last meal included fried pork chops, ice cream, and root beer.
His final statement was disturbingly cold:
*”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.”*