Death Row, Execution, Infamous Serial Killers

Frank Athen Walls | Death Row Roll Call 2025 | Serial Killer

Frank Athen Walls is a Florida serial killer and long-serving death row prisoner now scheduled to be executed on December 18, 2025, for the 1987 home-invasion murders of Air Force airman Edward Alger and his girlfriend Ann Peterson in Okaloosa County. AP News+1

Frank Athen Walls Mug Shot

Frank Athen Walls

American Serial Killer

Last Update November 19, 2025

Frank Athen Walls | Death Row Roll Call 2025

  • Name: Frank Athen Walls
  • Born: October 12, 1967 – Ocean City, Okaloosa County, Florida Wikipedia
  • Jurisdiction: State of Florida – Okaloosa County (trial later moved to Jackson County for retrial) Justia Law+1
  • Known Victims: 5
    • Tommie Lou Whiddon
    • Cynthia Sue Condra
    • Audrey Gygi
    • Edward K. Alger
    • Ann Louise Peterson AP News+2Wikipedia+2
  • Crime Span: March 26, 1985 – July 22, 1987 Wikipedia+1
  • Primary Convictions:
    • Two counts of first-degree murder (Alger and Peterson)
    • Two counts of kidnapping
    • Burglary, theft, and related offenses AP News+2Justia Law+2
  • Sentence: Death sentence for the murder of Ann Peterson; life sentences for the murder of Edward Alger and additional murder convictions/pleas Justia Law+2Justia Law+2
  • Custody: On Florida’s death row; execution set for the Florida State Prison death chamber in Starke AP News+1
  • Execution Method: Lethal injection
  • Current Status: Active death warrant; execution scheduled for December 18, 2025 at 6 p.m. local time AP News+1

Classification & Characteristics

Frank Athen Walls sits in the record as a serial killer whose known victims span three separate crime scenes before the double homicide that sent him to death row. Investigators and courts have tied him to a pattern of attacks against women and young couples in and around the Florida Panhandle – murders that blended burglary, sexual violence, and sudden, lethal force. AP News+2Wikipedia+2

The record also paints a portrait of a defendant with long-standing mental-health concerns and alleged brain damage who nevertheless functioned well enough to plan burglaries, arm himself, cut phone lines, tie victims, and destroy evidence. Florida courts have repeatedly rejected his claims that intellectual disability bars his execution, pointing to IQ scores above 70 and evidence of organized conduct before, during, and after the killings. Justia Law+2Justia Law+2

Timeline of the Frank Athen Walls Case →

  • October 12, 1967 – Frank Athen Walls is born in Ocean City, Okaloosa County, Florida. Wikipedia
  • March 26, 1985 – Tommie Lou Whiddon, 19, is murdered on Okaloosa Island; her case remains unsolved for years. Wikipedia+1
  • September 16, 1986 – Cynthia Sue Condra, 24, is stabbed to death and left near a roadside in Okaloosa County. Wikipedia+1
  • May 20, 1987 – Audrey Gygi, 47, is raped and murdered in her mobile home near Fort Walton Beach. Wikipedia+1
  • July 22, 1987 – Edward Alger and Ann Peterson are killed during a home-invasion robbery at Alger’s mobile home. Justia Law+2Justia Law+2
  • July 1987 (next day) – Walls is arrested after his roommate contacts police; stolen items from the crime scene are found in their trailer. AP News+1
  • 1988 – First trial: Walls is convicted on two counts of first-degree murder and other charges; the jury recommends death, and the judge sentences him accordingly. Justia Law+2Justia Law+2
  • April 11, 1991 – Florida Supreme Court in Walls v. State, 580 So. 2d 131 (Fla. 1991), reverses his convictions and death sentence due to a Massiah violation by a correctional officer. Justia Law+1
  • 1992 – Retrial in Jackson County ends with convictions for both murders; Walls receives life for Alger and death for Peterson. Justia Law+1
  • July 7, 1994 – Florida Supreme Court affirms in Walls v. State, 641 So. 2d 381 (Fla. 1994); the U.S. Supreme Court later denies certiorari in Walls v. Florida, 513 U.S. 1130 (1995). Justia Law+1
  • 2006–2008 – Florida Supreme Court denies initial postconviction relief but permits a separate intellectual-disability motion; after an evidentiary hearing, the court affirms denial of his Atkins claim, noting that he has never tested at or below an IQ of 70. Supreme Court+2Justia Law+2
  • October 20, 2016 – In Walls v. State, 213 So. 3d 340 (Fla. 2016), the Florida Supreme Court holds Hall v. Florida retroactive under state law and remands for a new intellectual-disability hearing. Justia Law+2Justia Law+2
  • February 16, 2023 – In Walls v. State, SC22-72, the Florida Supreme Court affirms denial of his latest Hall-based intellectual-disability motion after receding from the 2016 decision in light of Phillips v. State and related cases. Justia Law+1
  • November 2025 – Governor Ron DeSantis signs a death warrant for Walls, setting his execution for December 18, 2025, making him part of a record-breaking year for executions in Florida. AP News+1

Case Summary

Frank Athen Walls grew up in Okaloosa County on Florida’s Emerald Coast. By age seventeen, he had already committed murder: on March 26, 1985, 19-year-old Tommie Lou Whiddon was found with her throat cut after sunbathing on Okaloosa Island, a case that went unsolved for years. Over the next two years, 24-year-old Cynthia Sue Condra and 47-year-old Audrey Gygi were also killed in separate attacks, their deaths likewise sitting in cold-case files until Walls’ later admissions. Wikipedia+1

Shortly after 4 a.m. on July 22, 1987, Walls broke into the mobile home of Air Force airman Edward Alger and his girlfriend Ann Peterson near Fort Walton Beach. He cut the phone line, tied the couple with curtain cord, and began rummaging for valuables. When Alger broke free and struggled with him, Walls slashed Alger’s throat and shot him multiple times in the head before turning the gun on Peterson – shooting her at close range as she cried and then firing again when she screamed into a pillow. Justia Law+2Justia Law+2

A roommate’s tip led investigators to Walls the day after the bodies were found; a search of their shared home uncovered items from the crime scene, and Walls later gave a taped confession. A jury convicted him and recommended death in 1988. In 1991, the Florida Supreme Court threw out his convictions and death sentence because a correctional officer had acted as a state agent in obtaining incriminating statements. After a change of venue and retrial, he was again convicted in 1992; this time, the court imposed life for Alger and death for Peterson, and the Florida Supreme Court affirmed in 1994. AP News+3Justia Law+3Justia Law+3

In the years that followed, DNA evidence and plea agreements tied Walls to three additional murders – Whiddon, Condra, and Gygi – cementing his status as a serial killer. On collateral review he raised extensive ineffective-assistance and intellectual-disability claims. Florida courts ordered and held multiple evidentiary hearings but ultimately denied relief, most recently in 2023 when the Florida Supreme Court held that Hall v. Florida is not retroactive and rejected his renewed intellectual-disability claim. In November 2025, Governor Ron DeSantis signed a death warrant setting Walls’ execution for December 18, 2025, as part of a record-setting year of executions in the state. AP News+4Justia Law+4Justia Law+4

→ Quick Answers

  • Is Frank Athen Walls still on death row?
  • He is. As of November 2025, Walls remains on Florida’s death row under an active death warrant, with his execution scheduled for December 18, 2025. AP News+1
  • Where is his execution scheduled to take place?
  • His execution is set for the death chamber at Florida State Prison in Starke, by lethal injection, under the warrant signed by Governor Ron DeSantis. AP News+1
  • How many people did he kill?
  • Five known victims are attributed to Walls – Whiddon, Condra, Gygi, Alger, and Peterson. Only the murders of Alger and Peterson underlie his current death sentence; the other three killings were resolved through pleas and admissions after his capital conviction. AP News+2Wikipedia+2
  • Has he claimed intellectual disability as a bar to execution?
  • He has. Walls pursued multiple Atkins/Hall-based intellectual-disability claims; after various hearings and appeals, the Florida Supreme Court ultimately ruled in 2023 that Hall is not retroactive and that his Hall-based claim cannot block his execution. Justia Law+2Justia Law+2
  • What is the latest legal development in his case?
  • In February 2023, the Florida Supreme Court affirmed the denial of his latest postconviction motion. In November 2025, DeSantis signed the death warrant setting Walls’ execution for December 18, 2025; his attorneys are expected to seek last-minute relief in state and federal courts. Justia Law+2AP News+2

🕊️ Victim of Frank Athen Walls

  • Tommie Lou Whiddon
  • Tommie Lou Whiddon, 19, was killed on March 26, 1985, while sunbathing on Okaloosa Island. Her throat was cut, and the investigation stalled for years until Walls later admitted responsibility as part of a deal with prosecutors. Wikipedia+2Murderpedia+2
  • Cynthia Sue Condra
  • Cynthia Sue Condra, 24, was found stabbed to death near a roadside on September 16, 1986. Court and news records describe multiple stab wounds and a violent attack; Walls would later acknowledge killing her, tying the unsolved homicide back to his series of crimes. Wikipedia+2Murderpedia+2
  • Audrey Gygi
  • Audrey Gygi, 47, was raped and murdered in her mobile home near Fort Walton Beach on May 20, 1987. DNA evidence later linked Walls to the sexual assault and killing. He entered a no-contest plea to avoid another capital trial and received a life sentence for her death. Wikipedia+2WEAR+2
  • Edward K. Alger
  • Edward Alger, an Eglin Air Force Base airman in his early twenties, lived in a mobile home where Walls staged the July 1987 home invasion. Alger’s feet and wrist were bound with curtain cord; when he broke free and fought back, Walls cut his throat and shot him in the head several times, killing him at the scene. Justia Law+2Justia Law+2
  • Ann Louise Peterson
  • Ann Peterson, Alger’s girlfriend, was bound alongside him when Walls broke into their home. After killing Alger, Walls turned to Peterson, shooting her in the head at close range and then again when she cried out into a pillow. Her murder is the one for which Walls received his death sentence. Justia Law+2Justia Law+2

→ FAQs

Who is Frank Athen Walls?

Frank Athen Walls is a Florida serial killer from Okaloosa County who murdered five people between 1985 and 1987, starting when he was 17 years old. He was convicted and sentenced to death for the 1987 home-invasion murders of Air Force airman Edward Alger and his girlfriend Ann Peterson, and later linked by DNA and confessions to three additional killings. Wikipedia+2AP News+2

How many people did Frank Athen Walls kill and who were his victims?

Investigators and courts attribute five murders to Walls: Tommie Lou Whiddon (19), Cynthia Sue Condra (24), Audrey Gygi (47), and the couple Edward Alger and Ann Peterson, all in Okaloosa County between 1985 and 1987. He was tried and sentenced to death for the Alger–Peterson double murder and later admitted responsibility for the other three killings through plea deals and post-conviction proceedings. Wikipedia+2AP News+2

What happened in the 1987 murders of Edward Alger and Ann Peterson?

In July 1987, Walls broke into Alger’s mobile home near Fort Walton Beach, cut the phone line, and tied Alger and Ann Peterson with cord before ransacking the house. When Alger broke free and fought back, Walls cut his throat and then shot him in the head; he then shot Peterson twice – once in the head and again through a pillow – as she struggled, and stole money and household items before fleeing. Wikipedia+2AP News+2

Is Frank Athen Walls still on death row and when is he scheduled to be executed?

Walls remains on Florida’s death row under an active death warrant signed by Governor Ron DeSantis. He is currently scheduled to be executed by lethal injection on December 18, 2025, at Florida State Prison, a date that would make him the 19th person set for execution in Florida that year. Mid Bay News+3AP News+3WEAR+3

Frank Athen Walls | Death Row Roll Call 2025 | Serial Killer

Frank Athen Walls | Death Row Roll Call 2025 | Serial Killer

👉 The Story

A serial killer on Florida’s Emerald Coast (1985–1987)

Frank Walls’ known path of violence begins in the mid-1980s along the beaches and backroads of Okaloosa County. In March 1985, 19-year-old student Tommie Lou Whiddon was killed on Okaloosa Island; in September 1986, 24-year-old Cynthia Condra was stabbed and left by the roadside; in May 1987, 47-year-old Audrey Gygi was brutalized and murdered in her own mobile home. Each case, viewed alone, looked like a grim one-off. Together, they formed the early arc of a serial killer no one had yet named. Wikipedia+2Murderpedia+2

A home invasion that broke the pattern wide open

On a July night in 1987, Walls shifted his focus to a neighboring mobile home occupied by Air Force airman Edward Alger and his girlfriend Ann Peterson. The state’s evidence describes a calculated entry: phone line cut, a gun brought along, curtain cord used to tie the couple, valuables gathered while they lay bound on the floor. The attack turned into a struggle only when Alger managed to fight free – an act of resistance that, according to the record, triggered Walls’ decision to kill both occupants rather than flee. Justia Law+2Justia Law+2

A roommate’s suspicion and a confession on tape

Walls might have slipped back into the shadows again but for the person who lived under the same roof. His roommate, unsettled by Walls’ behavior and by the proximity to the crime scene, contacted authorities. A search warrant led investigators into the trailer, where they recovered items traced back to Alger and Peterson’s home. Confronted with the evidence, Walls gave a recorded confession that later became a centerpiece of both the original trial and the retrial. Justia Law+2Justia Law+2

From reversal to reaffirmed death sentence

The first trial ended in a death sentence, but a correctional officer’s improper questioning – treated as a Massiah violation – prompted the Florida Supreme Court in 1991 to reverse the convictions and send the case back. Walls got a new venue, a new jury, and another chance. The second jury heard the physical evidence and his confession, convicted him again, and once more recommended death for the murder of Ann Peterson. In 1994, the state’s high court affirmed the new convictions and sentences, and the U.S. Supreme Court declined to intervene. Justia Law+2Justia Law+2

Serial status and the long fight over mental disability

While Walls’ direct appeal closed, the picture of his broader violence sharpened. DNA evidence tied him to the rape and murder of Audrey Gygi, and he accepted a life sentence in that case. He also admitted killing Whiddon and Condra, resolving two more unsolved homicides and cementing his status as an Okaloosa County serial killer. At the same time, his lawyers pursued extensive postconviction litigation, arguing that brain damage, mood disorders, and low-average IQ scores placed him within the class of prisoners who cannot be executed. Multiple hearings probed his childhood, his test scores, and his behavior behind bars. AP News+3Supreme Court+3Justia Law+3

A death sentence in a record-setting year

By 2016, the Florida Supreme Court briefly opened a path for Walls, declaring Hall v. Florida retroactive and sending his case back for yet another intellectual-disability hearing. Four years later, the court changed course in Phillips and similar cases. In February 2023, the justices applied that new precedent to Walls and upheld the denial of his Hall-based claim. In November 2025, as Governor Ron DeSantis continued signing death warrants at a pace that set a modern Florida record, Walls joined the list of prisoners with scheduled execution dates – his set for December 18, 2025, with only a narrow window left for any court to say otherwise. AP News+3Justia Law+3Justia Law+3

Legal Status | Paper Trail | Frank Athen Walls

Walls’ case has generated a long line of published opinions in Florida’s appellate courts and the federal system. Together, they track the arc from his original conviction and death sentence, through reversal and retrial, into decades of postconviction litigation focused on ineffective assistance of counsel and intellectual-disability claims. FindLaw Case Law+4Justia Law+4Justia Law+4

Key Decisions

  • Walls v. State, 580 So. 2d 131 (Fla. 1991) – Florida Supreme Court reverses his original convictions and death sentence, finding a Massiah violation where a correctional officer elicited incriminating statements after counsel had been appointed.
  • Walls v. State, 641 So. 2d 381 (Fla. 1994) – On direct appeal after retrial, the Florida Supreme Court affirms the convictions and sentences: life for Alger’s murder and death for Peterson’s.
  • Walls v. Florida, 513 U.S. 1130 (1995) – The U.S. Supreme Court denies certiorari, leaving the 1994 decision intact. Justia Law+1
  • Walls v. State, 926 So. 2d 1156 (Fla. 2006) – Florida Supreme Court affirms denial of his initial Rule 3.850 motion but authorizes him to file a separate Rule 3.203 intellectual-disability motion; later cited in subsequent opinions.
    • (Background summarized in later Florida Supreme Court decisions and in the 2008 mental-retardation brief.) Supreme Court+1
  • Walls v. State, 3 So. 3d 1248 (Fla. 2008) (table) – Court affirms the denial of his first intellectual-disability claim after an evidentiary hearing, noting that he has never scored 70 or below on an IQ test. Justia Law+1
  • Walls v. State, 213 So. 3d 340 (Fla. 2016) – Florida Supreme Court holds that Hall v. Florida applies retroactively under state law and orders a new evidentiary hearing on Walls’ intellectual-disability claim.
  • Walls v. State, SC22-72 (Fla. Feb. 16, 2023) – After the Hall hearing, the Florida Supreme Court affirms denial of relief, holding that Hall is not retroactive under Phillips and that Walls cannot use it to bar his execution.
  • Walls v. Buss, 658 F.3d 1274 (11th Cir. 2011) – The Eleventh Circuit denies federal habeas relief, rejecting his constitutional challenges to the conviction and death sentence.

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Beyond the Gavel

Roll Card | Where the Case Sits Now

  • Jurisdiction: Florida state court, postconviction stage; federal habeas proceedings previously concluded. Justia Law+1
  • Sentence: Death for the murder of Ann Peterson; life sentences on additional homicide counts and related crimes. Justia Law+2Justia Law+2
  • Latest Major Ruling: Walls v. State (Fla. Feb. 16, 2023) – Florida Supreme Court affirms denial of his Hall-based intellectual-disability claim and holds Hall non-retroactive. Justia Law+1
  • Current Warrant: Death warrant signed by Governor Ron DeSantis in November 2025, setting execution for December 18, 2025, by lethal injection at Florida State Prison. AP News+1

Docket Map | Proceedings (Condensed)

  • 1988–1994 – Direct Appeal Loop
    • 1988 convictions and death sentence.
    • 1991 reversal for Massiah violation (Walls I).
    • 1992 retrial and new death sentence.
    • 1994 affirmance of convictions and sentences (Walls II). Justia Law+2Justia Law+2
  • 1997–2008 – Initial Postconviction & First Atkins Claim
    • Rule 3.850 motion filed and litigated; ineffective-assistance and penalty-phase challenges rejected in 2006 with permission to file an intellectual-disability motion.
    • Intellectual-disability motion filed under Rule 3.203; evidentiary hearing held in 2007.
    • Florida Supreme Court affirms denial in a 2008 table decision, citing the absence of any IQ score at or below 70. Supreme Court+2Justia Law+2
  • 2011 – Federal Habeas
    • Eleventh Circuit denies habeas relief in Walls v. Buss, leaving state convictions and death sentence intact. FindLaw Case Law
  • 2015–2016 – Hall Opens a Door
    • Walls files a successive motion arguing that Hall’s new definition of subaverage intellectual functioning should apply to him.
    • Florida Supreme Court initially agrees, holding Hall retroactive and remanding for a new Hall-standard hearing in Walls v. State, 213 So. 3d 340 (Fla. 2016). Justia Law+2Justia Law+2
  • 2020–2023 – Phillips Closes It
    • In Phillips and related cases, the court recedes from its retroactivity holding in Walls.
    • After Walls’ Hall hearing, the circuit court and Florida Supreme Court deny relief, holding Hall non-retroactive and rejecting his intellectual-disability claim on that basis. Justia Law+1
  • 2025 – Warrant Stage
    • DeSantis signs the death warrant; AP reports that Walls could become the 19th execution in Florida in 2025, the highest number under any governor since the death penalty was reinstated. AP News

Case File Extras | What the Record Shows

  • IQ History and Brain-Damage Claims – Records show IQ scores around 102 in early adolescence and scores of 72 and 74 as an adult. Defense experts attribute the decline to brain damage and organic impairment; state experts dispute that he meets statutory criteria for intellectual disability. Supreme Court+2Justia Law+2
  • Organized Crime Scene Behavior – Florida Supreme Court opinions emphasize Walls’ actions at the Alger/Peterson scene: cutting the phone line, binding both victims, moving through the home to gather items, and using both a knife and a firearm – behavior the court cited as inconsistent with significant adaptive deficits. Justia Law+1
  • Serial Killer Label from the Record – The AP and court summaries now routinely describe Walls as a man who not only killed Alger and Peterson but also confessed to three prior killings, following DNA linkage to the Gygi murder and plea negotiations covering Whiddon and Condra. AP News+2Wikipedia+2
  • Record-Pace Context – The same AP coverage notes that his warrant comes as DeSantis sets a modern record for executions in a single year, placing Walls within a broader political and legal debate over Florida’s capital punishment machinery. AP News

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