Donald Dillbeck appeals to Florida Supreme Court

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WCTV) - A man set to be executed for a Tallahassee murder later this month is now appealing to the Florida Supreme Court.

Donald Dillbeck’s legal team filed the notice of appeal late Monday.

Dillbeck was convicted and sentenced to death for the murder of Faye Vann, who was stabbed to death outside the Tallahassee Mall in June 1990. At the time, Dillbeck was already serving a life sentence for the murder of a Lee County Sheriff’s Deputy and killed Vann after escaping from a prison work detail.

Dillbeck has been on Florida’s death row for nearly 32 years. Governor Ron DeSantis signed his death warrant last month.

Dillbeck’s appeal to the Florida Supreme Court follows a decision last week by Circuit Judge Angela Dempsey, who denied Dillbeck’s request for a stay of execution and four new claims made by his defense team.

“The State of Florida and the surviving victims of Dillbeck’s multiple crimes have an enormous interest in the finality and timely enforcement of valid criminal judgments. The people of Florida, as well as the surviving victims, “deserve better” than the “excessive” delays that now typically occur in capital cases,” Judge Dempsey wrote in her February 2nd order.

Right now, the Florida Supreme Court’s docket lists Dillbeck’s death penalty case as “active” but does not yet list a hearing date. WCTV will continue to monitor the case as the February 23rd execution date approaches.

Copyright 2023 WCTV. All rights reserved.