Man convicted of first-degree murder is first to be executed by Florida in 2026

Ronald Palmer Heath killed a traveling salesman in 1989; last year the state had a record 19 executions

A man convicted of killing a traveling salesman he and his brother had met at a bar has become the first person executed in Florida this year.

Ronald Palmer Heath, 64, was pronounced dead at 6.12pm on Tuesday after a three-drug injection at the Florida state prison near Starke. Heath was convicted of first-degree murder, robbery with a deadly weapon and other charges in the 1989 killing of Michael Sheridan.