Gov. Ron DeSantis signed a death warrant Tuesday for a man convicted of killing two people during a 1987 burglary in Okaloosa County.

• Frank Athen Walls, 58, is scheduled to be executed Dec. 18 at 6 p.m. at Florida State Prison in Raiford, according to the warrant signed Nov. 18.

Walls was first convicted in July 1988 of two counts of first-degree murder for killing Edward Alger and Ann Peterson on July 22, 1987, and was sentenced to death for Peterson’s murder the following month by Circuit Judge Robert Barron.

The Florida Supreme Court reversed the conviction and ordered a new trial. However, in July 1992, a jury again found Walls guilty on both murder counts and unanimously recommended the death penalty. Barron reinstated the original sentences.

According to court documents, Walls entered the victims’ mobile home in the early morning hours after burglarizing a used car lot earlier that evening. At least two vehicles were parked in front of the residence, giving a clear indication the home was occupied, according to court records.

Walls cut a length of curtain cord immediately upon entering and proceeded directly to the bedroom where Alger and Peterson were sleeping, according to testimony. Armed with a knife and pistol, he intentionally awakened the couple by turning on the light and kicking over a large fan.

• At gunpoint, Walls forced Peterson to bind Alger’s wrists and ankles with the curtain cord, according to court documents. He then took Peterson to the living room, where he tied and gagged her.

When Alger freed himself and attacked Walls, a violent struggle ensued. According to court records, Alger — unarmed and with his ankles still bound — fought for his life.

Walls then stabbed and shot Alger multiple times, according to court documents.

Walls returned to Peterson and moved her to an empty bedroom before shooting her twice, killing her.

By his own admission, Walls intended to leave no witnesses, according to court records.

Evidence against Walls included a taped confession, an oral confession, the gun and knife recovered from his residence, the stolen wallet and fan, microanalysis evidence, serological evidence, firearm and ballistic evidence, fingerprint evidence and blood dispersement analysis, according to court records.

After his conviction, DNA evidence linked Walls to the May 1987 rape and murder of Audrey Gygi. Walls pleaded no contest, avoiding another trial and possible death sentence. He also admitted responsibility for the killings of Tommie Lou Whiddon in March 1985 and Cynthia Sue Condra in September 1986 as part of a deal with prosecutors.

• Over the following decades, Walls filed multiple postconviction motions in state and federal courts, all of which were denied. According to the death warrant, executive clemency was considered and denied.

In imposing the death sentence, Barron found six aggravating factors, including that Walls had been previously convicted of a violent felony, the murder was committed during a burglary and kidnapping, it was done to avoid arrest, for pecuniary gain, and was “especially heinous, atrocious, or cruel,” according to court documents.

• The court also found the murder was committed “in a cold, calculated, and premeditated manner without any pretense of moral or legal justification,” according to the sentencing order.

Walls received additional sentences for the other convictions, including life in prison with a 25-year minimum mandatory sentence for Alger’s murder, which was to run consecutive to the death sentence. He also received sentences ranging from five to 20 years for the burglary and kidnapping charges, which were to run concurrently.

Walls was 19 years old at the time of the murders.