Photo: Zerbor / iStock / Getty Images
Tallahassee, FL - A Florida man who confessed to killing his entire family after his wife asked for a divorce is now scheduled to be executed later this summer.
Edward Zakrzewski, a former airman at Eglin Air Force Base, was convicted of the 1994 murders of his wife Sylvia and their two young children in their Mary Esther home.
According to police reports and court records, Sylvia had recently told Zakrzewski she wanted to end their marriage.
Authorities say he allegedly responded by fatally beating and strangling her, then used a machete to kill their 7-year-old son Edward and 5-year-old daughter Anna.
After the killings, Zakrzewski fled Florida and relocated to Hawaii, living under a different name.
His case later aired on the television show Unsolved Mysteries, prompting him to surrender to authorities.
He ultimately pleaded guilty to all three murders and was sentenced to death.
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis signed the warrant for Zakrzewski’s execution on July 1st.
The lethal injection is scheduled for July 31st.
This marks the ninth execution DeSantis has approved in 2025, surpassing records held by previous governors including Rick Scott and Bob Graham.
Zakrzewski has spent nearly three decades on death row.
His legal team pursued multiple appeals, but both state and federal courts upheld the conviction and sentence.
The Florida Supreme Court found the murders were premeditated and carried out in a particularly cruel and calculated manner.
Unless a last minute legal intervention occurs, Zakrzewski’s execution will proceed at Florida State Prison.