Army veteran who said war 'broke' him executed in Florida after quadruple murder of mum and three kids
The Gulf War veteran, convicted of four counts of murder, maintained his innocence through his numerous appeals but his attorneys were ultimately in preventing his execution
A U.S. Army Gulf War veteran, convicted of the brutal 1998 shotgun killings of his girlfriend and her three young children in 1998, has become the fourth inmate in Florida to be executed this year.
On Thursday, May 1 Jeffrey Hutchinson, 62 was originally scheduled for 6 p.m. EDT but it was delayed two hours. The lethal injection was administered just after 8p.m. EDT at the Florida State Prison near Starke. Hutchinson was pronounced dead at approximately 8:15 p.m. EDT, according to the Florida Department of Corrections.
Hutchinson has always denied the heinous crimes and claimed that two unknown assailants perpetrated the killings as part of a U.S. government conspiracy aimed at silencing him over his activism on claims of Gulf War illnesses and other issues affecting veterans.
Court records, however, show that on the night of the murders in Crestview, Florida, Hutchinson had argued with his girlfriend, 32-year-old Renee Flaherty, then packed his clothes and guns into a truck. Hutchinson went to a bar and drank some beer, telling staff there that Flaherty was angry with him before leaving abruptly.
A short time later, a male caller told a 911 operator, "I just shot my family" from the house Hutchinson and Flaherty shared with the three children. Upon arrival police officers found Hutchinson in the garage with a phone still connected to the 911 center and gunshot residue on his hands, reports Mirror US.
At his 2001 trial, Hutchinson based his defense on a claim that two unknown men came to the house, killing Flaherty and the children after he struggled with them. A jury found Hutchinson guilty of four counts of first-degree murder and he was sentenced to life in prison for Flaherty's killing and three death sentences for the children.
Since then, Hutchinson has undertaken numerous unsuccessful appeals, many focused on mental health problems linked to his Army service. In late April, his lawyers sought to delay his execution date by claiming Hutchinson is insane and therefore cannot be put to death. Bradford County Circuit Judge James Colaw rejected that argument.
In their court filings, Hutchinson's lawyers said he suffers from Gulf War Illness - a series of health problems stemming from the 1990-1991 war in Iraq - as well as post-traumatic stress disorder and paranoia related to his claim that he was targeted by government surveillance.
One of his lawyers, Chelsea Shirley, said Hutchinson has "a decades-long delusion that he is being executed to silence his efforts to expose government secrets. Two experts have concluded that he is not competent for execution. Based on these facts, we believe the court was wrong to find Mr. Hutchinson competent to be executed, but we are not surprised."
Hutchinson's family has fought for years to raise awareness about his case, even producing a 20-minute documentary-style video about his situation. They insist there is much more to his story than what's been presented in court.
His son, Geoffrey Hutchinson, spoke up in support of Jeffrey in the video. "He was a soldier who didn't get the help he needed when he needed it, before it could have caused further problems. And he at least deserves some leniency for that."
His brother, Robert Hutchinson, previously said in interviews, "I've known this guy my whole life. His mental capacity is definitely diminished." Robert and his sister travelled to Florida this week to meet with Governor DeSantis and visit their brother.
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At a trailer parked on James' family land with his pals and his friends mentioned he'd nipped out for pizza, Kristin opted for a customary late-night stroll – a regular habit back at her home. But when James's return with no sign of Kristin, the group launched a search, but she had vanished without a trace. The subsequent afternoon, August 15, 1985, James notified Ovid authorities of Kristin's disappearance. He pinpointed the last sighting between 11pm and 11.30pm, with her leaving the trailer shoeless and without her handbag. Even after an hunt at 1:30 am by the party attendees, Kristin was still nowhere to be discovered. James' pal, 17-year-old David Chamberlain, confirmed James's account and dismissed any notion of friction at the bash. 'She just went for a walk and didn't come back,' he said. 80 firefighters and police mounted a search in the hope of locating Kristin, all to no avail. Then, an appalling reality emerged on August 16, 1985, as searchers stumbled upon a harrowing sight. Kristin's body was found in a cornfield, less than a mile from where she was last seen. She suffered multiple stab wounds and her throat had been cut. Locals described hearing a "horrifying" scream at the time she was believed to have been murdered. The absence of evidence suggesting sexual assault did not stop detectives from speculating that she may have been resisting such an encounter when killed. New York State Police quickly set about identifying individuals who might wish harm upon the young woman. It was noted the route near the cornfield was often travelled by workers from the nearby Seneca Army Depot and outdoor enthusiasts en route to the Golden Buck, a well-frequented watering hole close to James' trailer. Eyewitness accounts confirmed Kristin's presence on County Road 139 around the timeframe of 11.50pm to 12.10am, matching what James had claimed. 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Then-District Attorney Donna Cathy named Gary Harris in the case, as chronicled by the Democrat and Chronicle back in 1995. Cathy noted that hairs from an African American were found at the scene, pointing out Harris was the only black man in Ovid at that time. Seneca County's interim Judge W Patrick Falvey called for DNA testing of the hair and blood samples taken in 1985 to aid in concluding the investigation; nevertheless, the efforts hit a snag due to a lack of adequate probable cause to connect Harris to the event. Harris's solicitor presented a robust defence: "Being in the community or being black in the community does not meet the requisite proof." The authorities have stressed that Harris is merely "one of many" individuals of interest in the ongoing inquiry. Scrutinizing the forensic details of this murder case brings to light complex issues. Take, for instance, Kristin's bloodstained clothes were found orderly laid next to her in the cornfield where she was found post-mortem, with officers acknowledging that rainfall that evening might have washed away some evidence. Nonetheless, there exists an overwhelming quantity of physical evidence – all 318 pieces pertinent to the horrific crime, encompassing everything from the victim's fingernails and blood-drenched jumper to the pillowcase and potentially hundreds of strands of hair. In spite of this extensive material and technological progress, no fresh forensic testing is underway. Despite a top-tier Dutch lab offering to analyse evidence from Kristin's case in 2009, the New York State Health Department rejected the proposal due to the facility not being certified in New York. District Attorney Richard Swineheart told the Ithaca Journal: "We feel this is our last, best effort to solve this case. We are very frustrated with the bureaucracy of the Department of Health." Kirsten's mother, Phyllis, along with assistance from a Minnesota senator, attempted to convince the department to make an exception and allow the Amsterdam lab to pursue certification but to no avail. The O'Connell family has started a petition on to push for DNA testing that could propel the investigation forward. To their dismay, in 2010, the New York Inspector General notified Phyllis of a forensic specialist, potentially connected to Kristin's case, having historical issues of falsifying evidence. Gerry Veeder was accused of engaging in a malpractice known as "dry-labbing", which entails feigning test performances to provide lab results, thus cutting corners. "In 1985 he did the initial evidence. I don't know how many items but anything to do with cloth because that's what he handled. I mean, my God - this is an important job they're doing there and how could they allow this and not be supervised properly?" exclaimed Phyllis. In a surprising turn of events, it was revealed last year that a cold case team led by the former head of the FBI's Violent Criminal Apprehension Program had offered the services of a New York State-approved forensics lab for free to examine all physical evidence from Kristin's case. The proposed examinations were intended to be part of a documentary on the murder being produced by two-time Oscar winner Bill Guttentag, potentially bypassing the issues that arose over a decade ago with the Dutch lab. However, the New York State Police declined the offer and did not endorse the initiative. Mark O'Donnell, spokesperson for the New York State Police Troop, stated that it would violate policy to involve external parties in an ongoing murder investigation. The State Police declared: "As in all cases, the State Police does not share critical information, evidence or the techniques used in solving cases. By sharing such information, it could jeopardize the integrity of the investigation." Despite what seems to be substantial evidence in Kristin's murder case, it remains unsolved. In 2010, a $10,000 reward was put forward for information leading to the conviction of her killer, and in 2015, the police reported that over 1,900 leads had been pursued without success. Phyllis tirelessly pushes for the police to either re-examine the evidence with current forensic methods or close the investigation, which would permit her to file a Freedom of Information request to see the evidence herself. Additionally, Phyllis is campaigning for legislative changes mandating all police forces to establish dedicated cold case squads to stop cases like her daughter Kristin's from being shuffled between detectives for years. Expressing her frustration, she mentioned: "I think there are people up there who know what happened but are afraid to come forward. I believe people are scared. I know I can't bring her back. But I can't rest until I find out who did this to her." The Mirror has reached out to Seneca County Police for a statement. Meanwhile, the hunt for Kristin O'Connell's killer goes on, with law enforcement officials calling on anyone with information to contact the New York State Police Major Crimes Unit at (585) 398–4100.
