Florida Schedules Execution for Man Convicted in Fatal Robbery of Traveling Salesman

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) — Heath’s execution, scheduled for February 10 at Florida State Prison, comes after his conviction for the murder of a traveling salesman during a robbery. Governor DeSantis, a Republican, has signed off on a record 19 executions in the past year, surpassing any other Florida governor’s record since the reinstatement of the death penalty in 1976. The previous high was eight executions in 2014.

The crime dates back to 1990 when Heath was found guilty of first-degree murder, armed robbery, and several forgery charges. The case underscores the severity of the actions taken by Heath and his brother, Kenneth.

Details from court documents reveal that in May 1989, Heath and his brother encountered Michael Sheridan, a traveling salesman, at a bar in Gainesville. The trio spent time socializing before deciding to leave the bar to smoke marijuana together, a decision that would ultimately lead to the tragic events that unfolded.

According to court records, Heath and his brother, Kenneth Heath, met traveling salesman Michael Sheridan at a Gainesville bar in May 1989. After hanging out at the bar for some time, the three men agreed to go somewhere else to smoke marijuana.

At some point, the brothers plotted to rob the other man, investigators said. Ronald Heath drove the group to a remote area, where Kenneth Heath pulled a handgun on Sheridan. The man initially refused to give the brothers anything, and Kenneth Heath shot Sheridan in the chest.

As Sheridan emptied his pockets, Ronald Heath began kicking the man and stabbing him with a hunting knife, prosecutors said. Kenneth Heath then shot Sheridan twice in the head.

The brothers dumped Sheridan’s body in a wooded area and returned to the Gainesville bar to take items from his rental car. The brothers made multiple purchases with Sheridan’s credit cards the next day at a Gainesville mall.

Ronald Heath was arrested several weeks later at his Douglas, Georgia, home after investigators connected him to the stolen credit cards. Officers recovered clothing purchased with the stolen cards, as well as Sheridan’s watch, according to court records.

Kenneth Heath was also charged with Sheridan’s murder, but he was sentenced to life in prison as part of a plea agreement.

Attorneys for Ronald Heath are expected to file appeals to the Florida Supreme Court and the U.S. Supreme Court.

A total of 47 people were executed in the U.S. in 2025. Florida led the way with a flurry of death warrants signed by DeSantis. The state’s final execution of 2025 was the Dec. 18 lethal injection of Frank Athen Walls, who was convicted of fatally shooting a man and his girlfriend during a home invasion robbery.

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