DeSantis Signs Death Warrant for Man Convicted in 1998 Murder of 7-Year-Old Girl in Hillsborough County
The 80-year-old was convicted in the 1998 disappearance and death of Amanda Brown, and Florida has carried out 19 executions this year, officials said.
- On Tuesday, Governor Ron DeSantis signed a death warrant for Willie Seth Crain, convicted in the 1998 murder of 7-year-old Amanda Brown in Hillsborough County. Crain is scheduled for execution by lethal injection on December 10, 2026, at Florida State Prison in Raiford.
- Crain was convicted of kidnapping and murdering Brown after she disappeared in 1998, though her body was never found. Prosecutors secured the conviction using blood evidence discovered in Crain's bathroom and on his clothing.
- This warrant marks the 22nd execution in Florida this year, continuing a record-setting pace. Florida has matched its 2025 record of 19 executions, accounting for more than half of all executions in the United States this year combined.
- Exonerated former death row inmates are asking Governor-elect Byron Donalds to pause executions. Spiritual advisor Jeff Hood wrote to Donalds, "This pace has to stop," opposing the accelerated pace.
- Before Crain's scheduled execution, two other death warrants are pending. Thomas Mitchell Overton is set to be put to death on November 19, and Richardo Gonzalez is scheduled for execution on December 1.
12 Articles
12 Articles
Florida Gov. DeSantis Sets Execution Date For Tampa Man In Chilling 1998 Child Murder, Crab-Trap Disappearance
Nearly three decades after 7-year-old Amanda Brown vanished from a Tampa mobile home while her mother lay drugged asleep, the state of Florida has cleared the way to execute her killer. Gov. Ron DeSantis signed an execution warrant Tuesday for Willie Seth Crain Jr., scheduling the condemned killer to face lethal injection at 6 p.m. […] Florida Gov. DeSantis Sets Execution Date For Tampa Man In Chilling 1998 Child Murder, Crab-Trap Disappearance
Willie Seth Crain Scheduled To Be Killed in Florida's 22nd Execution of the Year
Gov. Ron DeSantis signed a warrant Tuesday for what is slated to be the 22nd execution of the year, even as a group of people exonerated after sitting on Florida’s death row are asking the next governor to slow the record setting pace. The warrant is for Willie Seth Crain, a convicted child molester found guilty in the 1998 disappearance and death of 7-year-old Amanda Brown in Hillsborough County. Brown’s body was never found.
Gov. DeSantis signs death warrant for Florida man convicted of kidnapping, killing child as 22nd execution of year
Willie Seth Crain, 80, was convicted in the 1998 disappearance of 7-year-old Amanda Brown, and exonerees are asking Gov.-elect Byron Donalds to pause executions.
DeSantis signs death warrant for child molester convicted in 7-year-old girl’s kidnapping, death
Gov. Ron DeSantis signed a death warrant for a convicted child molester found guilty in the 1998 disappearance and death of a 7-year-old girl. It would be the state's 22nd execution of the year.
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