The Florida Supreme Court denied all remaining legal challenges from death row inmate Frank A. Walls on December 11, 2025, just one week before his scheduled execution date of December 18, 2025. In a per curiam opinion, the court affirmed the denial of Walls' successive motion for postconviction relief, rejected his petition for a writ of habeas corpus, and denied his motion for a stay of execution.
Walls, who has been on death row for decades, had exhausted his regular appeals process and was pursuing final legal remedies before his execution warrant expires. The Florida Supreme Court's ruling effectively removes the last judicial barriers to his execution, barring any federal court intervention or gubernatorial clemency.
The case stems from the brutal 1987 murders of Edward Alger and Ann Peterson in Okaloosa County, Florida. According to court records cited in the opinion, Alger worked at a nearby air force base but failed to report for duty on July 22, 1987. When Sergeant Calloway, Alger's superior officer, went to check on him at the home he shared with Peterson, Calloway discovered Peterson's body in the front bedroom. Calloway immediately left the residence and contacted police.
The Florida Supreme Court cited its previous ruling in *Walls v. State* (Walls I), 580 So. 2d 131, 132 (Fla. 1991), indicating this case has been through multiple levels of appeal over more than three decades. The lengthy appellate process is typical in death penalty cases, which undergo extensive review through both state and federal courts before executions can be carried out.
Walls' recent legal filings represented his final attempts to avoid execution through the state court system. Successive postconviction relief motions are filed after initial appeals have been exhausted and typically raise new legal claims or present evidence not previously considered by the courts. These motions face high legal standards and are often unsuccessful unless they present compelling new evidence of innocence or constitutional violations.
Habeas corpus petitions, another avenue Walls pursued, allow prisoners to challenge the legality of their detention on constitutional grounds. These "great writ" proceedings can address issues such as ineffective assistance of counsel, prosecutorial misconduct, or newly discovered evidence. However, federal and state courts have increasingly limited the scope of habeas review in capital cases over the past several decades.
Stay of execution requests are emergency motions that ask courts to halt scheduled executions while other legal proceedings are pending. Courts typically grant stays only when there are substantial legal questions that require resolution or when new evidence emerges that could affect the outcome of the case.
The Florida Supreme Court's jurisdiction over this matter stems from Article V, Section 3(b)(1) and (9) of the Florida Constitution, which grants the state's highest court authority over capital cases and certain types of constitutional challenges. Florida's death penalty system requires the state supreme court to automatically review all death sentences, and the court retains jurisdiction over subsequent appeals and petitions in capital cases.
Florida has been one of the most active death penalty states in recent years, carrying out multiple executions annually. The state's execution protocol involves lethal injection, administered at the Florida State Prison in Starke. Death row inmates in Florida can choose between lethal injection and the electric chair, though lethal injection is the default method if no choice is made.
The denial of Walls' appeals means his execution can proceed as scheduled unless federal courts intervene or Governor Ron DeSantis grants clemency. Federal courts rarely grant stays of execution in cases that have been thoroughly reviewed by state courts, and gubernatorial clemency in capital cases has become increasingly uncommon in Florida and other death penalty states.
Walls' case represents the culmination of Florida's capital punishment process, which begins with a capital trial, proceeds through mandatory appellate review, and can involve years or decades of additional appeals and legal challenges. The extended timeline reflects the irreversible nature of capital punishment and the legal system's emphasis on ensuring that all constitutional protections are afforded to defendants facing the death penalty.
The December 18 execution date gives Walls' attorneys limited time to pursue any remaining federal court options or clemency applications. Federal courts typically require exhaustion of state remedies before considering habeas corpus petitions, and emergency stays from federal courts in capital cases face strict procedural requirements and high legal standards.
Unless unforeseen developments occur, Walls will become the latest person executed in Florida since the state resumed capital punishment in 1979 following the Supreme Court's reinstatement of the death penalty.