In his final moments, convicted killer Ronald Palmer Heath offered a simple, haunting farewell: “I’m sorry. That’s all I can say. Thank you.” Minutes later, at 6:12 pm on Tuesday, he was pronounced dead at Florida State Prison.
Heath, 64, lay strapped to a gurney as a lethal cocktail of drugs was administered. He displayed little visible reaction, his eyes closing as if drifting to sleep before stillness claimed him. This execution marked Florida’s first of the year, following a staggering record of nineteen in the previous year.
The sentence stemmed from the 1989 murder of traveling salesman Michael Sheridan. Court documents reveal Heath and his brother, Kenneth, met Sheridan at a Gainesville bar, initially sharing drinks and conversation. The casual encounter quickly spiraled into a calculated act of violence.
On a desolate dirt road, Kenneth Heath brandished a gun, demanding money. When Sheridan refused, he was shot in the chest. Even as Sheridan emptied his pockets, Ronald Heath joined the assault, kicking and stabbing him with a hunting knife. Kenneth then delivered two final shots to Sheridan’s head.
The brothers callously abandoned Sheridan’s body in nearby woods before returning to Gainesville. They then brazenly rifled through and robbed Sheridan’s rental car, unaware their spending spree would leave a trail for investigators to follow.
Ronald Heath was convicted of first-degree murder, armed robbery, and forgery, receiving a death sentence. Kenneth, however, negotiated a plea deal, agreeing to testify against his brother in exchange for a life sentence with the possibility of parole – a sentence he is now eligible to revisit.
Advocates with Floridians for Alternatives to the Death Penalty maintained Heath’s innocence, arguing the true perpetrator walked free. They pointed to Kenneth’s lighter sentence, stating he may one day be released while Ronald remains buried.
Court records paint a different picture, portraying Ronald as the mastermind behind the robbery and the instigator of the violence. Jurors, after years of appeals and scrutiny, found him guilty of first-degree murder based on evidence of premeditation and brutality.
Florida’s 2025 saw an unprecedented nineteen executions, shattering the previous record of eight set in 2014. Governor Ron DeSantis oversaw more executions than any Florida governor since the death penalty’s reinstatement in 1976.
Critics labeled the surge in executions an “execution spree,” fueled by political motivations and disproportionate application. Two more executions are already scheduled: Melvin Trotter on February 24th, and Billy Leon Kearse a week later on March 3rd.
