Thomas Lee Gudinas, a man convicted of the brutal rape and murder of homecoming queen Michelle McGrath in May 1994, was executed on Tuesday evening at Florida State Prison. The state execution marks the seventh this year, in a marked ramp-up in capital punishment.
The 51-year-old was pronounced dead at 6.13 pm, following a lethal injection, a spokesman for Republican Governor Ron DeSantis said. As the curtain to the execution chamber opened at 6.00 pm, Gudinas was already strapped to a gurney with an IV in his left arm.
After the warden ended a call with the governor’s office, he asked Gudinas if he had any final words. Although his statement was inaudible to those in the viewing room, the spokesman revealed that the inmate expressed remorse and made a reference to Jesus.
Following this, the lethal drugs were administered, causing Gudinas’ eyes to roll back and his chest to convulse slightly. After several minutes, his face lost colour and he fell still. The prison warden then announced that the sentence had been carried out, the curtain to the execution chamber was closed, and witnesses were escorted from the viewing area.
Gudinas’ execution marks the seventh in Florida this year, with another scheduled for next month. The state also executed six people in 2023, but only one last year.
So far, 24 men have been put to death in the US this year, and with more executions scheduled, 2025 is set to be the year with the most executions since 2015.
Florida has topped the charts for executions this year, outpacing other states such as Texas and South Carolina, which are tied in second place. Alabama, Oklahoma, Arizona, Indiana, Louisiana, and Tennessee have also conducted executions, with Mississippi poised to carry out its first since 2022.
Despite the uptick in capital punishment, Department of Corrections spokesperson Ted Veerman assured there’s been no undue pressure on operations.
“Our staff are doing a fantastic job keeping up with the pace of these executions,” Veerman stated earlier on Tuesday. “And we are going through with these in a professional manner.”
The case in question dates back to May 24, 1994, when McGrath was last spotted at Barbarella’s bar before her body was discovered hours later, bearing signs of severe trauma and sexual assault.
Gudinas, who had been at the same establishment, was seen by witnesses leaving alone. A school worker who stumbled upon McGrath’s body identified Gudinas fleeing the scene, while another woman recognised him as her assailant from the previous night.
In 1995, Gudinas received a death sentence for his crimes.
Despite appeals to the Florida Supreme Court and the US Supreme Court, Gudinas’ legal attempts were unsuccessful.
The team defending Gudinas contended that his “lifelong mental illnesses” should prevent his execution, but their efforts were thwarted as the Florida Supreme Court dismissed the appeal last week, citing that legal protections for intellectually disabled individuals do not extend to those with other mental conditions or brain injuries.
A separate plea at the federal level challenged the governor’s unchecked authority to issue death warrants, alleging it infringed upon inmates’ constitutional rights to due process and resulted in an inconsistent decision-making process regarding life and death. However, the U.S. Supreme Court declined Gudinas’ bid for clemency on Tuesday.
On the day leading up to his execution, authorities noted that Gudinas had a solitary visitor, his mother, and did not seek counsel from any religious advisor.