Family's damning 13-word remark as murderer killed after 30-year death row term
Carmen Gayheart's family expressed their reaction after Anthony Wainwright received a lethal injection at Florida State Prison near Starke for the woman's kidnap, rape and murder
Family members of a woman kidnapped, raped and murdered by a thug expressed their frustration they had to wait 30 years for his execution on death row.
Anthony Wainwright was finally executed on Tuesday by injection at Florida State Prison near Starke more than three deacdes after killing young mum Carmen Gayheart. He had several appeals during this period, something Ms Gayheart's family called "ridiculous" in interviews with the media after the execution.
Maria David, Ms Gayheart's older sister, said: "I'm looking forward to... never having to think about Anthony Wainwright ever again" in a scathing 13-word remark following the execution, which saw Wainwright, 54, die within 15 minutes of the jab.
The yob shuddered his shoulders, blinked and took several deep breaths before becoming completely still at 6.14pm in the jail. He had made a final statement, but the words were inaudible from the witness room.
READ MORE: Death row inmate Matthew Lee Johnson's last words as he's executed for setting gran on fire
Wainwright and Richard Hamilton, the other man convicted in Ms Gayheart's killing, escaped from prison in April 1994, stole a green Cadillac and burgled a home the next morning, taking guns and money. Then they drove to Florida and when the Cadillac began to have problems in Lake City, they decided to steal another vehicle.
They confronted Ms Gayheart, a community college student, on April 27, 1994, as she loaded groceries into her blue Ford Bronco, according to court documents. They forced her into the vehicle at gunpoint and drove off. They raped her in the backseat and then took her out of the vehicle and tried to strangle her before shooting her twice in the back of the head, court filings say. They dragged her body several dozen yards from the road and drove off.
The two men were arrested in Mississippi the next day after a shootout with police. A jury in 1995 convicted Wainwright of murder, kidnapping, robbery and rape and unanimously recommended that he be sentenced to death. Hamilton was also sentenced to death, but he died on death row in January 2023 at the age of 59.
Speaking after the execution, Ms David added: "It's ridiculous how many appeals they get. You have to relive it again because they have to tell the whole story again." Both Ms David's parents have died, and were unable to see justice.
Ms Gayheart was training to become a nurse, her sibling said. Over the years, Ms David has kept a book where she put every court filing, from the initial indictment through the latest appeals. She continued: "I'm looking forward to getting the last pieces of paperwork that say he's been executed to put into the book and never having to think about Anthony Wainwright ever again."
Wainwright became the sixth person to be put to death in Florida alone this year. The state executed six people in 2023, but only carried out one execution last year.
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Daily Mail
2 days ago
- Daily Mail
EXCLUSIVE Death row inmate's strange final act of defiance before he was executed for raping and murdering young mom
A death row inmate executed for the 1994 rape and murder of a young mother declined his final meal before being put to death by lethal injection, his spiritual adviser tells the Daily Mail. Anthony Wainwright, 54, had been so terrified of dying in the days leading up to his execution that Reverend Jeff Hood flew from Arkansas to Florida to be by his side in his final hours. It was during those hours that Wainwright found 'perfect peace' with his impending fate, no longer seeing his death as a definitive end but rather as a new beginning. 'He was ready to get out of prison,' Hood told 'I kept on telling him that this was his release date.' After finding his inner peace, Wainwright decided to forgo the long-standing ritual of a last meal. In Florida, death row inmates are permitted a final feast worth up to $40, but the food must be prepared in the prison kitchen. Takeout, alcohol, and cigarettes are all forbidden. 'He just wanted to focus on pushing through and how he was feeling,' explained Hood. 'He was very much concentrating on staying in a place of peace, and he felt like anything like that would distract him; distract him from his family and the people he loved. 'It was quite beautiful that he wanted to go out that way.' Wainwright was executed at Florida State Prison in Raiford on Tuesday evening, becoming the sixth inmate to be put to death by lethal injection in the state this year. He - along with his accomplice Richard Hamilton - was convicted in 1995 of raping and murdering Carmen Gayheart, a 23-year-old nursing student and mom-of-two, after abducting her from a Winn-Dixie parking lot in April 1994. The two men committed the horrific crime days after escaping from prison in Newport, North Carolina, where Wainwright was serving 10 years for breaking and entering, and Hamilton 25 years for armed robbery. They spotted Gayheart alone as she was loading groceries in the back of her blue Ford Bronco, snuck up on her, and forced her into her own vehicle at gunpoint, before driving away. Gayheart was driven to a secluded area in Hamilton County, where she was raped by the two men, strangled, and then executed with two rifle shots to the back of her head. Wainwright and Hamilton were caught the following day, 500 miles away in Mississippi, following a shootout with police. They led investigators to Gayheart's body and were each later convicted of murder, kidnapping, robbery and rape - with the jury unanimously recommending they be sentenced to death by the electric chair. Hamilton died in prison from natural causes in 2023. But Wainwright lived long enough to be executed Tuesday just after 6pm via lethal injection. In addition to Hood, Wainwright was visited by his wife, Samantha Hill, in the hours before his death. Wainwright made a final statement, but it was inaudible from a viewing room where 27 witnesses, including members of Gayheart's family, were watching on. Hood shared Wainwright's parting remarks with Wainwright spoke directly to his wife and thanked her for her loyalty and support through all of his legal appeals. 'My beautiful wife Samantha, you are the love of my life. I'm so blessed we found each other. The years we have spent together have been beyond wonderful,' Wainwright said. 'They've been downright magical. Love is stronger than death, and I know our love will last for eternity. 'I wanted to thank everyone who has supported my wife, Samantha, and I. It has truly been overwhelming. It has meant so much to us both,' he added. He concluded with a quote from The Princess Bride, specifically a statement uttered by the character Westley, played by Cary Elwes, to his romantic interest Buttercup, played by Robin Wright. 'Death cannot stop true love. All it can do is delay it for a while,' the convicted murderer and rapist told his wife. Wainwright stopped short of apologizing to Gayheart's family, but said he hopes 'my death brings you peace and healing.' He also railed against what he deemed a broken court system. 'The court system is broken, especially in Florida. Please continue the fight. Because I can promise you they are not going to let up. They will continue to murder if we continue to let it happen,' Wainwright said. He thenn criticized his attorney, Baya Harrison, who has represented other death row inmates in Florida. 'I hope that nobody forgets how terrible of an attorney Baya Harrison has been to all of us guys on the row and how terrible he represented me for so many years. He might be Florida's worst attorney,' he said. None of Wainwright's friends or family were present for his death, Hood said. The execution began at 6:10pm, and witnesses noted Wainwright's shoulders visibly shuddering after the injection was administered. Hood said that 'this was not as clean of a lethal injection as the others that I've seen,' but 'it was not bad enough to say that it was botched.' Wainwright blinked and took several deep breaths before going completely still at 6:14pm. He was officially pronounced dead eight minutes later at 6:22pm. Gayheart's older sister, Maria David, sat front and center when Wainwright took his last breaths on Tuesday. Ahead of the execution, she told she hoped Wainwright was gripped by the same fear and terror he subjected her younger sibling to in her last moments of life. 'Carmen was so scared for her life in her final moments, thinking, 'This is it. I'm gonna die.' And I can only hope that fear is something he's feeling now, too,' David said, 'She died in a horrific way… it kills me what they did to my baby sister. So I'm glad this is the last time I'll ever see him, and the last time I'll ever have to think about Anthony Wainwright.' Hood said that Wainwright's execution was incredibly emotional, likening witnessing his death to being 'kicked in the nuts.' 'This is the tenth execution I've been to. It's really like being kicked in the nuts,' he said. 'I've been close with Anthony for four years now. He's not somebody I just met. He mattered a great deal to me… and then to have to watch them be murdered right in front of you... It's horrifying and it's enraging.' A last-minute request for a stay in Wainwright's execution was denied by the Supreme Court. Over the years, his lawyers have filed multiple unsuccessful appeals based on what they said were problems with his trial and evidence that he suffered from brain damage and intellectual disability. Since his execution was scheduled last month, his lawyers have argued in state and federal court filings that his death should be put on hold to allow time for courts to hear additional legal arguments in his case. In a filing with the Supreme Court, his lawyers argued that his case has been 'marred by critical, systemic failures at virtually every stage and through the signing of his death warrant.' Those failures include flawed DNA evidence that wasn't disclosed to the defense until after opening statements, erroneous jury instructions, inflammatory and inaccurate closing arguments, and missteps by court-appointed lawyers, the filing says. David called Wainwright's attempts to revise the past shameful. If anything, David said the killer should be grateful that he was being given the lethal injection, rather than the electric chair as originally prescribed. 'He's getting off easy,' David said. 'I'm sad it's not the electric chair.' 'He's going to get an injection that puts him off to sleep like you'd do for your family's sick dog, the dog you loved with all your heart. 'Carmen suffered… but he's taking the easy way out. He's had 31 years breathing, phone calls, letters, all of that - everything he robbed Carmen of.'
Daily Mail
4 days ago
- Daily Mail
EXCLUSIVE Murderous death row inmate's final message to his loyal wife and victim's family before execution
The last words of Florida death row inmate executed Tuesday evening for murdering a young mother in 1994 expressed his love for his wife by quoting the cult classic film, The Princess Bride. Anthony Wainwright, 54, and his accomplice Richard Hamilton kidnapped 23-year-old Carmen Gayheart from a supermarket parking lot before driving her to a wooded area, where they raped and killed her. Hamilton, while serving on Florida's death row, died in prison in 2023. But Wainwright lived long enough to be executed Tuesday at around 6pm via lethal injection. In his final statement, Wainwright spoke of 'beautiful wife' and the support the couple has enjoyed throughout his several legal appeals. 'My beautiful wife Samantha, you are the love of my life. I'm so blessed we found each other. The years we have spent together have been beyond wonderful,' Wainwright said. 'They've been downright magical. Love is stronger than death and I know our love will last for eternity.' 'I wanted to thank everyone who has supported my wife Samantha and I. It has truly been overwhelming. It has meant so much to us both,' he added. He concluded with a quote from The Princess Bride, specifically a statement uttered by the character Westley, played by Cary Elwes, to his romantic interest Buttercup, played by Robin Wright. 'Death cannot stop true love. All it can do is delay it for a while,' the convicted murderer and rapist told his wife. Wainwright stopped short of apologizing to Gayheart's family, only telling them that he hopes 'my death brings you peace and healing.' He also railed against what he deemed a broken court system. 'The court system is broken. Especially in Florida. Please continue the fight. Because I can promise you they are not going to let up. They will continue to murder if we continue to let it happen,' Wainwright said. He then tore into his attorney, Baya Harrison, who has represented other death row inmates in Florida. 'I hope that nobody forgets how terrible of an attorney Baya Harrison has been to all of us guys on the row and how terrible he represented me for so many years. He might be Florida's worst attorney,' he said. Gayheart's older sister, Maria David, sat front and center when Wainwright took his last breaths on Tuesday. 'Carmen was so scared for her life in her final moments, thinking, 'This is it. I'm gonna die.' And I can only hope that fear is something he's feeling now, too,' David told the Daily Mail. 'She died in a horrific way… it kills me what they did to my baby sister. So I'm glad this is the last time I'll ever see him, and the last time I'll ever have to think about Anthony Wainwright.' Rev. Jeff Hood, Wainwright's spiritual advisor, told the Daily Mail that he was terrified of dying. Hood also advised Greg Hunt, an Alabama death row inmate who was executed the same day as Wainwright. Hood said that since Hunt appeared to be accepting of his fate, he chose to stay with Wainwright in his final moments. Wainwright skipped his last meal because he felt that it 'would distract him from his family and the people that he loved,' Hood said. 'He found a place of perfect peace. He stopped seeing his execution as an end but rather as a new beginning. He was ready to get out of prison - I kept on telling him that this was his release date,' Hood said. The Associated Press reported that the execution began at about 6:10pm. That's when Wainwright's shoulders shuddered a few times. Hood said that 'this was not as clean of a lethal injection as the others that I've seen,' adding that 'it was not bad enough to say that it was botched.' Wainwright blinked and took several deep breaths before going completely still at 6:14pm. He was officially pronounced dead at 6:22pm, according to a spokesperson for Governor Ron DeSantis. Hood told the Daily Mail that he was the only person who knew Wainwright that was present for his execution. None of his family members attended. 'This is the tenth execution I've been to. It's really like being kicked in the nuts,' he said. 'I've been close with Anthony for four years now. He's not somebody I just met. He mattered a great deal to me… and then to have to watch them be murdered right in front of you... It's horrifying and it's enraging.' Wainwright and Hamilton escaped from prison in Newport, North Carolina, on April 24, 1994. Wainwright was serving 10 years for breaking and entering, while Hamilton was to be behind bars for 25 years after he committed an armed robbery. They stole a Cadillac and burglarized a home the following morning, stealing money and guns, before heading south towards Florida. It was when the Cadillac started having mechanical issues three days and 600 miles later that the men decided to steal another car. That's when they spotted Gayheart. Gayheart was about to set off to collect her five-year-old daughter and three-year-old son from daycare when she was ambushed and abducted by the two men. Her remains would be found five days later, on May 2, 1994, off a dirt road in Hamilton County. She had been shot twice in the back of the head with a bolt-action rifle. Wainwright and Hamilton, meanwhile, continued on the lam in Gayheart's blue Bronco before they were eventually snared 520 miles away in Mississippi the day after her murder following shootout with police. Both were shot but survived. Initially, Wainwright told police that he raped Carmen and that Hamilton killed her. They led police to her body. At their trial in 1995, each attempted to point the finger of blame for the rape and murder at the other. Both men were convicted of murder, kidnapping, robbery and rape, with the jury unanimously recommending they be sentenced to death by the electric chair. Wainwright's lawyers have filed multiple unsuccessful appeals over the years based on what they said were problems with his trial and evidence that he suffered from brain damage and intellectual disability. Since his execution was scheduled last month, his lawyers have argued in state and federal court filings that his death should be put on hold to allow time for courts to hear additional legal arguments in his case. In a filing with the Supreme Court, his lawyers argued that his case has been 'marred by critical, systemic failures at virtually every stage and through the signing of his death warrant.' Those failures include flawed DNA evidence that wasn't disclosed to the defense until after opening statements, erroneous jury instructions, inflammatory and inaccurate closing arguments, and missteps by court-appointed lawyers, the filing says. David said she isn't buying Wainwright's latest revision of events. She said she heard the evidence against him first-hand and there is no doubt in her mind that he both raped and killed her younger sister. If anything, David said the killer should be grateful that he's being given the lethal injection, rather than the electric chair as was previously ordered. 'He's getting off easy,' David told the Daily Mail. 'I'm sad it's not the electric chair.' 'He's going to get an injection that puts him off to sleep like you'd do for your family's sick dog, the dog you loved with all your heart. 'Carmen suffered… but he's taking the easy way out. He's had 31 years breathing, phone calls, letters, all of that - everything he robbed Carmen of.' David said that the three decades she has been waiting to see Wainwright held 'accountable' is far too long. During that time, she lost both of her parents. Her father died in 2013, and her mother died in 2022. Both had wanted to witness Wainwright's death, she said. 'I know they're going to be with me in spirit today, for both me and Carmen, so we can see this through together,' David said. Before her sister's callous murder, David held no strong opinions about the death penalty. It was only after Gayheart was killed that she says she understood the 'need' for capital punishment. 'When you are so closely tied to the victim of a horrific crime like Carmen, you change your opinion. You want to see it happen because they deserve it,' added David. 'We didn't ask to seek the death penalty. The state came to us and told us they were going to go for it…I absolutely have to see this through,' she said prior to the execution.
Daily Mirror
4 days ago
- Daily Mirror
Family's damning 13-word remark as murderer killed after 30-year death row term
Carmen Gayheart's family expressed their reaction after Anthony Wainwright received a lethal injection at Florida State Prison near Starke for the woman's kidnap, rape and murder Family members of a woman kidnapped, raped and murdered by a thug expressed their frustration they had to wait 30 years for his execution on death row. Anthony Wainwright was finally executed on Tuesday by injection at Florida State Prison near Starke more than three deacdes after killing young mum Carmen Gayheart. He had several appeals during this period, something Ms Gayheart's family called "ridiculous" in interviews with the media after the execution. Maria David, Ms Gayheart's older sister, said: "I'm looking forward to... never having to think about Anthony Wainwright ever again" in a scathing 13-word remark following the execution, which saw Wainwright, 54, die within 15 minutes of the jab. The yob shuddered his shoulders, blinked and took several deep breaths before becoming completely still at 6.14pm in the jail. He had made a final statement, but the words were inaudible from the witness room. READ MORE: Death row inmate Matthew Lee Johnson's last words as he's executed for setting gran on fire Wainwright and Richard Hamilton, the other man convicted in Ms Gayheart's killing, escaped from prison in April 1994, stole a green Cadillac and burgled a home the next morning, taking guns and money. Then they drove to Florida and when the Cadillac began to have problems in Lake City, they decided to steal another vehicle. They confronted Ms Gayheart, a community college student, on April 27, 1994, as she loaded groceries into her blue Ford Bronco, according to court documents. They forced her into the vehicle at gunpoint and drove off. They raped her in the backseat and then took her out of the vehicle and tried to strangle her before shooting her twice in the back of the head, court filings say. They dragged her body several dozen yards from the road and drove off. The two men were arrested in Mississippi the next day after a shootout with police. A jury in 1995 convicted Wainwright of murder, kidnapping, robbery and rape and unanimously recommended that he be sentenced to death. Hamilton was also sentenced to death, but he died on death row in January 2023 at the age of 59. Speaking after the execution, Ms David added: "It's ridiculous how many appeals they get. You have to relive it again because they have to tell the whole story again." Both Ms David's parents have died, and were unable to see justice. Ms Gayheart was training to become a nurse, her sibling said. Over the years, Ms David has kept a book where she put every court filing, from the initial indictment through the latest appeals. She continued: "I'm looking forward to getting the last pieces of paperwork that say he's been executed to put into the book and never having to think about Anthony Wainwright ever again." Wainwright became the sixth person to be put to death in Florida alone this year. The state executed six people in 2023, but only carried out one execution last year.
