02-05-2025
Protesters gather at Florida prison against Hutchinson execution
RAIFORD, Fla. (WMBB) – While the state carried out Jeffrey Hutchinson's death sentence inside the prison, a group of protestors gathered across the street.
Many have made the journey to Raiford before, to protest against the death penalty.
Members of the Lady of Our Lord Church in Daytona Beach are regulars at the Florida State Prison.
A state trooper in charge of monitoring the designated protest area says he expects to see their church bus pull in at every scheduled execution.
And they pick up others in opposition of the death penalty on their drive over.
'We left at 1:30 from our church, we made a stop at the north part of our parish, and another stop in Palm Coast to pick up people to come here today, so it's quite a journey we've come,' Our Lady of Lord's Church Pastor Father Phillip Egitto said.
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Egitto is aware that Jeffrey Hutchinson was convicted of brutally murdering Renee Flaherty and her three young children more than 25 years ago. But he says they will pray over his death anyway.
'Even when we do horrendous things, which we are doing a horrendous thing, that god with us. And we will ring a bell and believe that Jeffrey Hutchinson will hear that and he will know that he's not facing death alone,' Egitto added.
Regardless of Hutchinson's crimes, Egitto believes the death penalty only creates a cycle of violence.
'We are not condoning what he did, we certainly have compassion for the victims, and the victims' families, but now we are creating more victims,' Egitto said.
The group of 50 or so protesters sang hymns and prayed for Hutchinson and his victims. Several veterans were there to honor Hutchinson's service during the Gulf War.
His lawyers blamed his time in the military for his violent actions, as they appealed his sentence. But those appeals were unsuccessful.
Hutchinson is the fourth person the state of Florida has executed this year.
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