After a long legal battle, Michael Zack III, a man responsible for the brutal murders of two women in north Florida bars in 1996, was finally executed on Tuesday evening. The lethal injection was administered at Florida State Prison in Starke, and Zack was pronounced dead just minutes after 6:14 p.m.

Zack's execution began promptly at 6 p.m., and before his death, he was given an opportunity to share any last words. He responded with a respectful “Yes sir” before lifting his head to address the witnesses, saying, "I love you all." His final statement served as a haunting reminder of the lives he had callously taken.

The 54-year-old was put to death for the murder of Ravonne Smith, a bar employee whom he had befriended before subjecting her to a horrific assault. Court records reveal that Zack beat and stabbed Smith with an oyster knife in June 1996, leaving her lifeless body as a tragic testament to his violent actions.

In addition to Smith's murder, Zack was also convicted and sentenced to life in prison for another heinous crime. Laura Rosillo, whom he met at a different Florida Panhandle bar, became another victim of his senseless brutality. After inviting Rosillo to the beach under the pretense of drug use, Zack proceeded to mercilessly beat her, dragging her into the dunes where he strangled her and kicked sand over her face.

This nine-day crime spree commenced in Tallahassee, the state capital, where Zack was a frequent patron at a local bar. When Zack's girlfriend informed him that he was facing eviction, a compassionate bartender offered to lend him her pickup truck. However, Zack took advantage of her kindness, absconding with the vehicle and never returning.

Zack made his way to a bar in Niceville, Florida, where he encountered a construction company owner who, upon learning that Zack was living out of the stolen pickup truck, extended an offer of temporary shelter. Unfortunately, Zack repaid this generosity by stealing two guns and $42 before pawning the firearms.

Continuing his spree of violence, Zack crossed paths with Laura Rosillo at yet another bar and enticed her to join him at the beach for drug use. But the encounter swiftly escalated into a savage attack, as he beat her, dragged her into the dunes, and callously ended her life. The details of this brutal crime are chilling, with court records indicating that Zack strangled Rosillo, kicked sand over her face, and left her lifeless body to be discovered by unsuspecting passersby.

Just a day after Rosillo's murder, Zack arrived at a Pensacola bar, where he encountered his final victim, Ravonne Smith. The two went to the beach to smoke marijuana before Smith took him to her boyfriend's home. However, Zack's true intentions soon became clear as he viciously assaulted Smith, striking her over the head with a bottle, slamming her head into the floor, and subjecting her to a violent rape. Not content with the unspeakable horrors he had already inflicted upon her, Zack stabbed Smith four times in the chest with the same oyster knife he had used to murder Ravonne earlier.

To add insult to injury, Zack callously stole Smith's television, VCR, and purse before attempting to pawn the stolen electronics. The pawn shop staff suspected foul play and alerted the authorities, prompting Zack to flee and seek refuge in an abandoned house for two days until his eventual arrest.

During his trial, Zack confessed to murdering Smith but claimed that his actions were motivated by rage. He alleged that Smith made a comment about his mother's murder, which had been committed by his sister. He also tried to argue that he acted in self-defense, believing that Smith was retrieving a gun from another room when he fatally stabbed her. However, these claims did little to sway the court, which found him guilty and sentenced him to death.

In a last-ditch effort to avoid his execution, Zack's lawyers argued that he suffered from fetal alcohol syndrome and post-traumatic stress disorder, painting him as a victim himself. However, their appeals were ultimately unsuccessful, and on Monday afternoon, the U.S. Supreme Court denied Zack's request for a stay of execution without providing any further comment.

It is worth noting that Zack's execution represents the eighth carried out under Governor Ron DeSantis since 2019, and the sixth this year alone. DeSantis has consistently championed tougher and more far-reaching death penalty laws, and this stance has become a cornerstone of his presidential campaign.

As Michael Zack III's life was extinguished, so too were the hopes of any further victims and their families finding closure. The pain and trauma caused by his heinous acts will undoubtedly continue to reverberate through the lives of those affected, reminding us of the need for justice and the devastating consequences that can result from unchecked violence.