Edward Zakrzewski Executed in Florida After 20 Years on Death Row
Edward Zakrzewski, convicted of murdering his wife and two young children in 1994, was executed in Florida on July 31—over 20 years after his sentencing. The 60-year-old became the state’s ninth execution in 2025, with two more scheduled this month.
Zakrzewski killed his wife, Sylvia, and their children, ages seven and five, before fleeing to Molokai Island, Hawaii, where he evaded capture for four months until a local minister recognized him from Unsolved Mysteries. He later told authorities he’d rather kill his family than let his wife divorce him.
His final appeal was denied Wednesday. At Florida State Prison, he ate fried pork chops, root beer, and ice cream for his last meal. His final words were chilling:
“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.”
Florida is on pace to surpass Texas in executions for the first time since 1984, breaking its previous record of eight in 2014.