Michael Zack, III, is scheduled to be executed on Tuesday, October 3, 2023, at the Florida State Prison near Raiford, Florida. 54-year-old Michael is convicted of murdering 23-year-old Ravonne Smith on June 13, 1996, near Pensacola, Florida. Michael has spent the last 25 years on death row in Florida.
As a child, Michael Zack allegedly saw his sister murder his mother. It has also been claimed that Michael suffered from fetal alcohol syndrome and post-traumatic stress disorder, which adversely affected his impulse control and causes him constant emotional and mental stress.
In early June 1996, a friend lent Michael Zack her vehicle. Instead of returning it, Zack took it and fled. On June 12, Zack met Laura Rosillo at a bar in Okaloosa County. They left the bar together, heading to the beach. While at the beach, Zack attacked and killed Laura. Evidence also suggests that Laura was sexually assaulted, however, Zack was never linked through DNA evidence. After murdering Laura, Zack hid her body behind a sand dune.
Zack then went to another bar near Pensacola. There, he met Ravonne Smith, an employee at the bar. After talking for most of the afternoon, Ravonne eventually left the bar with Zack. Ravonne took him back to her home. Immediately after entering, Zack attacked. Zack chased Ravonne into the master bedroom, where he sexually assaulted her. As she attempted to flee, Zack retrieved a knife from the kitchen. He found her in the guest bedroom and stabbed her 4 times in the chest. Ravonne died from her injuries.
Zack stole several items from Ravonne, including her car. He dumped his previously stolen car and began using Ravonne’s. Zack was arrested a few days later. While being investigated for the death of Ravonne, Zack also confessed to murdering Laura and to committing several thefts in the days before the murders.
Zack was convicted and sentenced to death for Ravonne’s murder. He was convicted and sentenced to life in prison for the murder of Laura.
Michael Zack has asked the Florida Supreme Court and the US District Court for the Northern District of Florida for a stay of execution. The Federal District Court denied his request for a stay of execution.
Please pray for peace for the families of Ravonne Smith and Laura Rosillo. Pray for strength for the family of Michael Zack. Pray that if Michael is innocent, lacks the competency to be executed, or should not be executed for any other reason, that evidence will be present before the execution. Please pray that Michael may come to find peace through a personal relationship with Jesus Christ.
: theforgivenessfoundation.org, Staff, September 23, 2023
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"One is absolutely sickened, not by the crimes that the wicked have committed,
but by the punishments that the good have inflicted."
— Oscar Wilde
