Governor DeSantis signs death warrant for Ronald Palmer Heath, who murdered a man he met at the Purple Porpoise in 1989
Staff report
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – Today, Governor Ron DeSantis signed a death warrant for Ronald Palmer Heath, who was convicted of murder and sentenced to death for killing Michael Sheridan, a man he met at the Purple Porpoise in Gainesville in 1989.
According to information released by the Governor’s office, on the evening of May 24, 1989, Ronald Heath and his brother Kenneth visited the Purple Porpoise Lounge in Gainesville. There, the brothers began talking to Michael Sheridan, who purchased them a drink and asked whether they used marijuana. At Heath’s suggestion, the brothers agreed to rob Sheridan. Heath then drove the trio to an isolated area in Alachua County where they smoked marijuana.
Heath made a gesture like a pistol and asked Kenneth, “Did you get it?” Kenneth grabbed a handgun from the car, pointed it at Sheridan, and informed him he was being robbed. Sheridan refused to give the brothers anything, and, at Heath’s prompting, Kenneth shot Sheridan once in the chest. While Sheridan was removing Sheridan’s possessions, Heath kicked and stabbed him. Heath attempted to slit Sheridan’s throat but was unable to do so due to the dullness of the knife, so he sawed at Sheridan’s neck. At Heath’s prompting, Kenneth shot Sheridan twice in the head to ensure that he would die. The brothers moved Sheridan’s body deeper into the woods and then moved Sheridan’s rental car and burned it.
The next day, the brothers bought numerous items using Sheridan’s credit cards. Various store clerks identified Heath in those transactions, and he was arrested weeks later. Police found Sheridan’s watch and several items purchased with the stolen credit cards in Heath’s trailer in Georgia.
Heath was convicted of first-degree murder, robbery with a firearm, and sixteen forgery-related counts. At the time of the murder, Heath had only been out of prison for six months after serving ten years of a thirty-year sentence for a second-degree murder conviction from 1977 (when Heath was sixteen years old). Heath is also suspected of having committed a third murder in the Jacksonville area around the time he killed Sheridan.
The execution date has been set for Tuesday, February 10, at 6 p.m.
Better late than never….although sooner would have been better.
On death row for decades. So long that they missed being electrocuted by Old Sparky. Now it’s time to meet the lethal injection needle. Special place in hell for this cold blooded murderer.
I think it’s funny. There’ll be a few on here saying that death penalty does not deter crime. I’ll bet your money that this bastard will never kill anyone else once he’s put to death. It’s a shame it takes this many years for it happen.
Why I do not advocate for Capital punishment: 1) It it extraordinarily expensive. 2) It takes years to secure a conviction. 3) The attention and notoriety during trial is what the creeps crave. 4) The convict is usually on death row for decades. 5) In my mind solitary for life with tasteless food, no entertainment and only one’s thoughts is worse than death. 6) You cannot call back the death penalty. 7) The Government should not wield the power of life and death.
Agree with all but #5 and would add 8) The death penalty creates another group of victims who were not convicetd of anything – the sentenced’s family and 9) The victims family often doesn’t want the entire traveling show that comes with a death penalty case.
In reference to 2), No it doesn’t , that’s why they’re on death row, & 7), Neither should murderers.
So on 7), “murderers do it, why can’t we”?
Not sure that holds up to moral analysis, and the death penalty has been proven to not be a deterrent. Does it satisfy the bloodlust of “conservatives”? Apparently so, as this thread demonstrates. Now we have the president, VP, and head of DHS lying to justify summary executions on the streets.
Amd yet somehow liberals don’t object to abortions.
Are you referencing the woman who hit a federal officer who was engaged in performing his duties? Try again.
JAZZMAN always goes to Trump, DeSantis, or GOP bashing when he can’t win.
I love you supposedly freedom loving “conservatives” who have to have AR15s to defend yourself from the government cheering on actual police state actions by the feds, including guys in masks with no IDs bullying people with no warrants and now shooting entirely peaceful mothers – did you catch the stuffed animals hanging out of her glove box, next to the blood soaked air bag? Y’all are cowards and suck up to jack booted thugs taking over the streets.
Guess you don’t really need that AR15, do you?
Didn’t know taking acting classes was a qualification for becoming a Federal officer. I’ve seen more realistic flops from a high school basketball player
What part of “Stop and get out of the vehicle!” is difficult to understand? They shouldn’t give driver’s licenses to people who refuse a lawful order.
People wonder why others get shot by LEOs. Time to stop.
You are just upset that Trump is giving one of the best Christmas gifts. Gathering people up an sending them home for the holidays. Remember there is no place like home for these illegal trespassers.
Look at the video and stills. There is no question that her tires were turned right which is away away from him – and in the body cam video you see her arms as she turns the wheel right – and that at least 2 of the shots came as he stood next to the drivers door and over 2′ away. If this guy goes to court he’s going away for murder.
You and the VP, Trump and DHS look like and are fools and accomplices claiming otherwise.
PS As far as his “duties”, I don’t think executions on the street is in the job description. It is definitely in the DHS and other federal law enforcement; DON”T SHOOT INTO AUTOMOBILES! It was also not something that would not have saved his life if she had been aiming for him, which she obviously wasn’t.
“Stop!”
I guess only idiots don’t understand that word.
As far as wheels being turned away, do you really think if you’re driving your F-150, hit someone while you’re looking at your phone, or something and kill them, (with obvious tread marks showing you tried to avoid them), you’ll not be charged with something? I don’t believe that would be a valid defense in your son’s chosen profession.
Here’s a paywall free link to a detailed analysis of the videos. Watch it if you actually care what the truth is – he murdered her as she was trying to drive away from him.
Also of note: Noem said Goode was blocking the agents vehicles. BS You can see her waving cars to go past her. Noem also said the agents had been hassled all day by protestors including Goode. BS She was murdered at 9:30 AM. Vance said she was a trained radical. BS While smiling, she tells the guy who shot her less than a minute before he did: “That’s fine, dude, I’m not mad at you,”. A few seconds after he murdered her he says “f…….n’ b..ch”.
He and the agent who tried to force her door get in an SUV and runaway after murdering Goode, making no attempt to check on her or offer assistance. Another agent guarding Goode’s vehicle a few moments later tells a guy who identifies himself as a physician “I don’t care” and refuses to let him attend to Goode.
At a minimum, this is all a gross failure of procedure by all these scumbags, and of course at worse, murder. In fact it is both and Noem should answer for this gross behavior in her impeachment trial, and then for lying about what happened.
https://www.nytimes.com/video/us/100000010631041/minneapolis-ice-shooting-video.html?smid=url-share
NY Times analysis?😭🤣
They should have prefaced the video with, “When you make bad choices, bad things happen.”
By the way, what would your son advise, as an officer of the Court, someone to do if law enforcement tells them to “get out of the car”?
It’s a video with stills. You can’t handle the truth.
The guy who said get out of the car did not identify himself, has no badeg, is wearing a mask and acting like a punk. No, I would try to get away from him.
Watch the video and come back with this police state loving garbage.
PS My son would have that agent sent up and doing time with the MS13 members and Hell’s Angels he convicted for murder.
She knew exactly who he/they were. The woman and her husband/wife were known activists that had been documented as having encounters with ICE agents.
The wife/husband who filmed the encounter was an antagonist during the entire encounter.
Your son would be without a job if he told anyone to disobey an officer. You’re a complete idiot if you believe differently.
It is not llegal to protest or have words with unidentified thugs, nor was a clear order given by one of them, nor given the behavior of these poorly trained nazis would I have not tried to escape.
By the way, you’re not on board with the adminstration liars – the story is she was going to run over the other agent and no one defended her getting shot because she didn’t get out of the car. I can only assume you have watched that video with stills and know that story is a complete lie.
In the meantime, you and the rest of MAGA are pretending you like small government and freedom when this episode and the ICE fiasco in general shows you love police state action with goons wearing masks and no ID jumping people and beating them up on the street, and now even kill them, while your leader writes pardons for his civilian goons who beat up cops at the capital. Hypocrites and a….les!
I didn’t see them protesting; I saw them blocking a roadway. That will get you arrested in Florida; just ask your son.
You hear one of them say a derogatory remark but can’t hear them say get out of the car? Your hearing is as selective as your vision.
At least you’re capable of identifying hypocrites – now look in the mirror for a clearer picture of one.
You clown. Watch the video. She didn’t block the road and in fact you can see her waving vehivles to pass by. You know if Noem tells you something, the odds are it’s a lie. You didnt know this?
I saw a guy walk up angrily for no apparent reason then that he couldn’t stand protesters and at the last minute say “Get out of the car” as he grabbed the door handle. Not knowing the other agent hovering was a poorly trained border agent who was trigger happy enough to violate federal rules for all it’s agents about NOT SHOOTING INTO VEHICLES!, she backed up and cut her wheel right to escape and avoid hitting Johhny hot head.
If you watched any of the numerous videos of ICE agents in action you’d know they gang up and tackle people – including women, and especially latinos or people who tell them to get out of their town – and disappear them into detention centers, refusing to tell anyone where their friend/relative/whatever is going, and then hold them for hours to days to weeks, including US citizens. This a text book police state BS and you’re too stupid to recognize it or maybe just enjoy seeing other citizens get roughly rounded up. My suggestion, if ICE comes here, is if one of these masked animals asks you to get out of your car, don’t do it, or expect your family won’t hear from you for awhile.
Now, you look in the mirror and see a lover of government power enforced by thugs in masks and so poorly trained they execute protesters.
You’re no doubt the same fools who buy that Jan 6 was the democrats or FBIs fault and those a….les who attacked cops should have been pardoned. Tell me – is there a limit to much HS you can swallow or if Trump says it, you have to belive or leave the cult.
Jazz as I said early once you put them to death they will never kill anyone else so yes, it’s a deterrent crime
Why are these cases taking so long?
A: so public lawyers can have longterm caseloads and avoid being laid off in order to pay off their law skool loans. Fact.
False. It takes so long because of the legal speed bumps instituted to at least try and be sure we don’t kill the wrong person.
“While an exact number is impossible to know, over 200 people wrongly convicted and sentenced to death in the U.S. have been exonerated since 1973, with at least 21 potentially innocent individuals already executed, highlighting systemic failures and the risk of executing the innocent, with official misconduct and false evidence common factors in these wrongful convictions. For every 8 people executed, one death row inmate has been exonerated, suggesting a significant number of wrongful convictions may go undetected….”
https://innocenceproject.org/innocence-and-the-death-penalty/#:~:text=Since%201973%2C%20at%20least%20200,the%20cases%20of%20white%20exonerees.
Law enforcement agencies and the FBI’s Law Enforcement Officers Killed and Assaulted (LEOKA) Program offer training and analysis to help officers identify and mitigate these dangers, referring to an offender’s vehicle as a “4,000-pound bullet”. Until you and the Crying Bear have been put into a situation where you shoot or die both of you wanna be police analysts need to STFU. The second Ammendment guarantees the right of a legal American to own any firearm they want. That has been run up and down the flag pole enough and proven to be fact by courts across the land. Again you both fail to see the enormous gift that Trump graced the illegal trespassers with. To send them home for tge holidays to be with their families and fellow countrymen. ICE ICE Baby
Bear loves him some police state and watching 6 guys tackle women to the ground.
Watch the video coward. The murderer was under no threat of being run over but acting like a little girl, lost control of the situation and his own behavior. Probably left the scene so fast because he wet his pants.
These are the worst trained “police” ever and probably wear the masks to avoid the embarrassment of people knowing they’re in ICE.
I miss the days of the “Greaseman” frying bacon over the airwaves.
One of the very best at his trade.
We are showing our age. I have not thought about that until you mention it thank you for making me remember the grease man.❤️
Long time Gainesville people-what is the “purple porpoise “ today? Is the building still around?
It has been completely remodeled, but the building exists to some degree. Its on University Avenue across from UF.
The original PP was on the E side of SW 13th St across from the “Jerry’s” drive in
Long before that it was the CI – College Inn, lunch diner and scene of a civil rights protest in 1964 – those who favored integration ate lunch there on a certain day – no blacks of course. The line went up and down Univ Ave.
They need to bring Ole Sparkie back. Lethal injection is way to passive. Run the voltage juice through them instead of letting them go to sleep.
Gee, what a he-man!
Actually, what a sick excuse for a human.
Watch this thread for people against the death penalty for Heath.
They are just as sick as this guy is, but they haven’t been caught yet.