STARK, Fla. — Thomas Gudinas, convicted of the brutal murder of Michelle McGrath in downtown Orlando, was executed Tuesday evening in the Florida prison after a final rejection by the U.S. Supreme Court.
Gudinas, 51, was declared dead at 6:13pm after receiving a fatal injection. He became the seventh person to be executed in Florida this year. This is because the state could have the most executions in a year since the death penalty was restored in 1976.
McGrath was attacked in May 1994 after leaving the nightclub. The next morning, her body was found in an alley. Prosecutors concluded that she had been sexually assaulted and died from a cerebral hemorrhage caused by blunt instrument trauma.
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis signed Gudinas’ death warrant on May 23rd. During the days leading up to enforcement, Gudinas’ lawyers tried to stop the process, claiming he was suffering from a severe mental illness. The Florida Supreme Court rejected these claims last week, urging a final appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court.
The appeal questioned the lack of transparency in the governor’s decision to sign a death warrant, calling it “unlimited discretion” and disclosed the criteria used to request the state to determine which prisoners are chosen to perform. The High Court declined the petition Tuesday without commenting.
According to the Florida Department of Corrections, Gudinas spent visiting from her mother and eating her final meal of pepperoni pizza, fries and soda. He woke up at 4:45am.
Witnesses at the execution said Gudinas lifted his head off the gurney at least twice to examine the viewing room, which houses 19 people, including reporters and state officials. He made a final statement, but it was not heard. His breast moved visibly within minutes shortly after the injection began.
Florida has already executed six other inmates this year: Anthony Wainwright, Glenn Rogers, Jeffrey Hutchinson, Michael Tange, Edward James and James Ford. Michael Bernard Bell’s next execution is scheduled for July 15th. Bell was found guilty of double murder in Duval County in 1993, and his lawyer filed an appeal Tuesday with the Florida Supreme Court.
If implemented, Bell’s execution marked the eighth in 2025, setting state records for the most executions of the year. This is a milestone that we previously reached in 1984 and 2014.
