William Reaves Jr. will face execution for the 1986 killing of local deputy

The search for the man who killed Deputy Richard “Raz” Raczkoski stretched from a Treasure Coast convenience store to a Melbourne hotel and, eventually, a bus trip to Georgia.Forty years later, William Reaves Jr. is scheduled to be executed Tuesday, Oct. 20, for the killing of the 29-year-old Indian River County deputy. His execution is set for 6 p.m. at Florida State Prison in Raiford.Raczkoski was answering a 911 call at a Zippy Mart near Vero Beach early on Sept. 23, 1986, when he encountered Reaves. According to court records, Reaves had called after being unable to get a taxi.As the two spoke, a gun fell from Reaves’ shorts. A struggle followed, and Reaves grabbed the weapon. When Raczkoski backed away and turned to run, Reaves fired, striking him four times.The shooting set off a manhunt that reached into Brevard County.According to the station’s archival reporting, Reaves hid at a Melbourne hotel for a day before boarding a Greyhound bus bound for Albany, Georgia. Authorities ca