Latest news with #Gudinas
The Sun
6 hours ago
- The Sun
Florida executes killer, Mississippi set for first since 2022
MIAMI: A man sentenced to death for murder in the state of Florida was executed late Tuesday, one of two executions in the United States this week. Thomas Gudinas, 51, was scheduled to die by lethal injection at 6:00 pm (2200 GMT) at the Florida State Prison in Raiford. Thirteen minutes later, the Florida Department of Corrections confirmed in a statement that the execution had been carried out. Gudinas was sentenced to death in 1995 for the murder of Michelle McGrath, who was last seen leaving a bar in the city of Orlando in the early hours. McGrath's battered body was found the next day and Gudinas was arrested shortly afterwards. Florida has carried out more executions -- seven -- than any other US state so far this year. Meanwhile, a Mississippi man on Death Row for 49 years is to be executed by lethal injection at 6:00 pm Central Time (2300 GMT) Wednesday, at the Mississippi State Penitentiary in Parchman. Richard Jordan, 79, was convicted and sentenced to death in 1976 for the murder of Edwina Marter, the wife of a bank executive in the town of Gulfport. Jordan, a shipyard worker, kidnapped Marter from her home and demanded a $25,000 ransom. He was apprehended when he went to pick up the money. Jordan confessed to murdering Marter and led the authorities to her body, which had been hidden in a forest. She had been shot. The execution in Mississippi will be the first in the southern state since December 2022. There have been 24 executions in the United States this year: 19 by lethal injection, two by firing squad and three by nitrogen hypoxia, which involves pumping nitrogen gas into a facemask, causing the prisoner to suffocate. The use of nitrogen gas as an execution method has been denounced by United Nations experts as cruel and inhumane. The death penalty has been abolished in 23 of the 50 US states, while three others -- California, Oregon and Pennsylvania -- have moratoriums in place. President Donald Trump is a proponent of capital punishment, and on his first day in office called for an expansion of its use 'for the vilest crimes.'
Daily Record
8 hours ago
- Daily Record
Rapist and killer executed on death row 30 years after crimes
Thomas Lee Gudinas, 51, was killed by lethal injection, more than 30 years after he raped and killed a woman. A killer was put to death on death row today - over 30 years after he raped and murdered a woman. Thomas Lee Gudinas, 51, expressed remorse just moments before receiving the lethal injection at Florida State Prison near Starke. Gudinas passed away within 14 minutes of the injection, becoming the seventh individual to be executed in Florida this year alone. His final utterances were largely unintelligible, but Bryan Griffin, a spokesperson for Republican Governor Ron DeSantis, stated that the sex offender repented and made a reference to Jesus. Following the administration of the drugs, Gudinas' eyes began to roll back and he experienced minor chest convulsions. His face lost colour and became motionless after several minutes. Gudinas was found guilty in 1995 of the rape and murder of Michelle McGrath. The court heard that the young woman's body, bearing signs of severe trauma and sexual assault, was discovered in an alleyway near a school in the early hours of May 24, 1994, reports the Mirror. It is believed that Gudinas encountered Ms McGrath in or outside a bar in Orlando, Florida, just minutes prior to the horrific attack. An eighth execution is planned in Florida in July. The state also executed six individuals in 2023, but only carried out one execution last year. A total of 24 men have been executed in the US this year, with scheduled executions set to make 2025 the year with the most executions since 2015. Florida has been at the forefront of applying the death penalty this year, eclipsing other states like Texas and South Carolina, both of which are tied for second place with four executions each. Alabama follows closely with three, while Oklahoma carried out two, and Arizona, Indiana, Louisiana, and Tennessee have each seen one execution. Mississippi is poised to hold its first execution since 2022 on Wednesday. Amidst a surge in executions this year, Department of Corrections spokesperson Ted Veerman remarked there hasn't been a noticeable operational burden, stating: "Our staff are doing a fantastic job keeping up with the pace of these executions. We are going through with these in a professional manner." In the most recent development, attorneys for Gudinas pushed for appeals to the Florida Supreme Court as well as the US Supreme Court, to no avail. The appellants cited "lifelong mental illnesses" as reasons for their client's exemption from the death penalty. Nevertheless, the Florida Supreme Court rejected these appeals just last week, asserting that the legal precedents safeguarding intellectually disabled individuals from capital punishment do not extend to those with other types of mental disorders or brain injuries.
Daily Mirror
12 hours ago
- Daily Mirror
Rapist and killer finally repents as he's executed on death row 30 years later
Thomas Lee Gudinas had been on death row at Florida State Prison near Starke since his conviction in 1995 of the rape and killing of Michelle McGrath in the southeastern state A murderer was executed on death row today - more than 30 years after raping and killing a woman. Thomas Lee Gudinas, 51, finally repented moments before he was given the lethal injection at Florida State Prison near Starke. Gudinas died within 14 minutes of the jab, becoming the seventh person to be put to death in Florida alone this year. His final words were largely inaudible but Bryan Griffin, a spokesman for Republican Governor Ron DeSantis, said the sex attacker repented and made a reference to Jesus. The drugs were administered and Gudinas' eyes began to roll back and he underwent slight chest convulsions. He lost colour in his face and went still after several minutes. Gudinas was convicted in 1995 of the rape and killing of Michelle McGrath. A court heard the young woman's body, showing evidence of serious trauma and sexual assault, was found in an alley near a school in the early hours of May 24, 1994. It is understood Gudinas met Ms McGrath in or outside a bar in Orlando, Florida, minutes before the heinous attack. READ MORE: Man brands his flatmate a 'disgusting slob' - and is then found dead days later An eighth execution is scheduled in Florida in July. The state also executed six people in 2023, but only carried out one execution last year. A total of 24 men have been put to death in the US this year, with scheduled executions set to make 2025 the year with the most executions since 2015. Florida has executed more people than any other state this year, while Texas and South Carolina are tied for second place with four each. Alabama has executed three people, Oklahoma two, and Arizona, Indiana, Louisiana and Tennessee each have one. Mississippi is set to join the other states on Wednesday with its first execution since 2022. Despite the increased frequency of executions this year, Department of Corrections spokesman Ted Veerman said there's been no significant operational strain. He said yesterday: "Our staff are doing a fantastic job keeping up with the pace of these executions. We are going through with these in a professional manner." The latest case saw attorneys for Gudinas file appeals with the Florida Supreme Court and the US Supreme Court but those were rejected. The lawyers had argued in their state filing that evidence related to "lifelong mental illnesses" exempted Gudinas from being put to death. But the Florida Supreme Court denied the appeals last week, ruling that the case law that shields intellectually disabled people from execution does not apply to individuals with other forms of mental illness or brain damage.
Metro
13 hours ago
- Metro
Killer's last words before being executed for killing homecoming queen
A death row inmate received a lethal injection more than three decades after raping and killing a former homecoming queen who cared for the homeless. Thomas Lee Gudinas, 51, used his last words to repent for slaying Michelle McGrath in 1994, and made a reference to Jesus while strapped to a gurney at the Florida State Prison near Starke. He did not meet with a spiritual adviser. As the drugs entered his system through an IV in his left arm, Gudinas' eyes rolled back and he had some chest convulsions. His face began to lose its color and he rested motionless. He was pronounced dead at 6.13pm on Tuesday, according to Governor Ron DeSantis' spokesman Bryan Griffin. Gudinas only had one visitor, who was his mother. McGrath was Barbarella's bar just before 3am on May 24, 1994, before she vanished. Gudinas was at the same bar with some friends the night before. An employee at a nearby school discovered McGrath's body in an alley hours after she disappeared and claimed to see Gudinas fleeing the area moments before. McGrath's body had signs of sexual assault and severe trauma. Gudinas was convicted of killing McGrath and sentenced to death in 1995. Gudinas was the seventh inmate to be executed in Florida so far this year, and the 24th in the US. More Trending Florida has put more people to death this year than any other state. 'Our staff are doing a fantastic job keeping up with the pace of these executions,' stated Department of Corrections spokesman Ted Veerman on Tuesday. 'And we are going through with these in a professional manner.' Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@ For more stories like this, check our news page. MORE: 'Living Nostradamus' issues chilling warning on Trump's Israel-Iran ceasefire MORE: Over 150 people sick in 'mass casualty' event at graduations amid US heatwave MORE: Prisoner said 'that's for Sarah Payne' after stabbing her murderer in his cell
UPI
2 days ago
- Politics
- UPI
Florida execution stay request appealed to U.S. Supreme Court
1 of 2 | Thomas Gudinas, 51, is scheduled to die by lethal injection in Florida on Tuesday after he was convicted of raping and murdering Michelle McGrath, 27, outside an Orlando nightclub in 1994. A stay of execution petition was filed last week to the U.S. Supreme Court as attorneys questioned the state's "process for determining who lives and who dies." Photo by Florida Department of Corrections June 23 (UPI) -- The scheduled execution of a Florida man on Tuesday is being appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court as attorneys question the state's "process for determining who lives and who dies." Thomas Gudinas, 51, is scheduled to die by lethal injection after he was convicted of murdering and raping Michelle McGrath, 27, as she left an Orlando nightclub in 1994. The "cause of death was a brain hemorrhage resulting from blunt force injuries to her head, probably inflicted by a stomping type blow from a boot," according to the medical examiner and restated in the opinion by the Florida Supreme Court. While Gudinas' attorneys argue he should be spared because he is "severely mentally ill," they appealed last week to the U.S. Supreme Court for a stay of execution because they want Florida to release records related to Gov. Ron DeSantis' "unbridled discretion in determining who shall die and when." "Florida's governor has no criteria, procedure or guidelines in place for selecting who lives and who dies," according to the petition filed by attorney Ali Shakoor on Wednesday. DeSantis signed Gudinas' death warrant last month. "Granting the governor unfettered discretion has, in practice, led to a completely arbitrary process for determining who lives and who dies. There are no articulated limits to the executive discretion, there are no guidelines for the selection process and the entire process is cloaked in secrecy," the petition states. Shakoor has argued that there are 111 men who have been on Florida's death row longer than Gudinas. He also claims that of the 61 lawyers practicing post conviction death penalty law in Florida, the governor's focus on him "is peculiar and concerning." "It defies statistical probability for Thomas Gudinas to be Attorney Shakoor's fourth death warrant in less than one year," according to a recent editorial in The SunSentinal. If Gudinas is executed Tuesday, he would be the seventh Florida inmate put to death by lethal injection this year. While the governor's office did not comment, the state Attorney General's Office urged the Supreme Court to reject the claims, arguing Gudinas is not entitled to death warrant records. "Gudinas wants this court to order the Florida courts to release the requested records so he can then potentially challenge both the governor's selection of him for a death warrant and the broader Florida clemency structure for lacking criteria or procedures to determine whom to execute as violations of the Eighth and Fourteenth Amendments," according to the state's response. "While he asserts that such claims would be meritorious, the Florida Supreme Court has repeatedly held that the clemency process and the governor's absolute discretion to issue death warrants are constitutional."
