A former elite Army Ranger was executed in Florida following his conviction on four counts of first-degree murder with a firearm.
On May 2, Jeffrey Hutchinson was executed by lethal injection at Florida State Prison around 8:00 pm.
The 62-year-old veteran, who served in the army for eight years, was executed for the 1998 murders of his girlfriend Renee Flaherty and her three children: nine-year-old Geoffrey, seven-year-old Amanda, and four-year-old Logan.
Hutchinson’s defense team attempted to appeal the decision, citing that his combat experiences in the Gulf War had led to severe mental health issues. However, the US Supreme Court dismissed the final appeal without comment.
According to court documents, on the evening of September 11, 1998, Hutchinson and Flaherty had a disagreement.
Hutchinson subsequently left the house, taking clothes and firearms, and went to a bar where he consumed ‘one-and-a-half glasses of beer.’ He reportedly told the bartender he was upset with Flaherty before departing.
Approximately 40 minutes after Hutchinson exited the bar, authorities received a 911 call from his residence.
The caller confessed to having ‘shot [their] family,’ and two of Hutchinson’s close acquaintances identified the voice as his.
During the call, Hutchinson mentioned: “There were some guys here.”
Ten minutes later, when law enforcement arrived at the location, they found Flaherty deceased in the master bedroom, along with her children.
Hutchinson was discovered in the garage with a phone nearby, still connected to the 911 operator.
Gunshot residue was found on his hands, and a Mossberg 12-gauge pistol-grip shotgun was located on the kitchen counter.
Despite the evidence, Hutchinson maintained his innocence.
Hutchinson’s defense argued that he was not guilty, claiming that two men entered the home, fatally shooting Flaherty and the children before escaping.
They also argued intoxication and posited that the crime was not premeditated murder but a crime of passion. Furthermore, they highlighted Hutchinson’s diagnoses of Gulf War syndrome and attention deficit disorder (ADD).
Despite these defenses, the 2001 trial concluded with him being found guilty on four counts of first-degree murder with a firearm.
Hutchinson was sentenced to life imprisonment for Flaherty’s murder and received three death sentences for the murder of the children.
His defense team filed multiple appeals, ranging from accusations of ineffective counsel for ‘failing to present evidence’ to claims that the State of Florida ‘made a tragic mistake by sentencing an innocent man to death row for a crime he did not commit.’
Ultimately, all appeals were denied, and Hutchinson was executed by lethal injection. He was the fourth person executed in Florida this year and the 16th executed in the United States in 2023.
Hutchinson had no final words before his execution.