The Gulf War veteran convicted of shotgun killing his girlfriend and her three children is scheduled for execution in Florida, signed this year by Gov. Ron DeSantis.
Jeffrey Hutchinson, 59, is set to die May 1 at a Florida prison near Stark City. Republican DeSantis signed a death warrant Monday night.
On the night of September 11, 1998, in the Panhandle town of Crestview, Hutchinson debated with his girlfriend, Rennie Flaherty, and set out to go to the bar, court records show. The bartender recalled that Hutchinson spoke out about their argument, drank a beer and then left suddenly.
About 40 minutes later, investigators called 911 from Hutchinson’s home and later said someone said they “just shot the family.”
Police arrived and found 32-year-old Flaherty and her three young children. Geoffrey, 9. Amanda, 7; and Logan, 4 – died from the wounds of a shotgun.
Hutchinson was found sitting in the garage with his cell phone in his hand, but still connected to the 911 operator, court records show. The murder weapon, a 12-gauge Mossburg shotgun, was found at a kitchen counter, and police say Hutchinson had the bullet residue in his hand.
The Florida Supreme Court in 2022 refused to appeal Hutchinson. After the verdict, Hutchinson told the court that he would not kill anyone.
“I didn’t kill Rennie and the kids, and I believe I was framed,” he said.
The judge’s ruling order noted that Hutchinson had served in the Army for eight years, including the Gulf War, and had been diagnosed with a Gulf War illness, causing various issues, including pain, memory loss and insomnia.
Two other executions were held in Florida this year, with the third execution in April. Everything is due to a fatal injection.
On March 20th, 63-year-old Edward James was executed in 1993 for murdering an eight-year-old girl and her grandmother. James Dennisford, 64, died on February 13th in the 1997 murder of the couple during a fishing trip.
The third prisoner, 48-year-old Michael Tanji, is scheduled to die in 2000 with a fatal injection on April 8th due to a woman’s invitation and murder in the Florida Keys.
Kurt Anderson, Associated Press
