Veteran Jeffrey Hutchinson, who killed Washington mom and her 3 children, set to be executed in Florida
Jeffrey Hutchinson, a veteran from the Gulf War, is set to be executed by lethal injection just after 6 p.m. ET on Thursday, May 1.
Renee Flaherty, a hardworking single mother from eastern Washington, did everything she could to make ends meet for herself and her three children. Sadly, her life and the lives of her young children—Geoffrey, Amanda, and Logan—were cut short by a man she had trusted, Jeffrey Hutchinson, who killed all four members of the family.
Hutchinson was regarded as a war hero after he had served the U.S. as an Army Ranger in the Gulf War in 1998, when he killed not only Renee and the children. He was eventually convicted for the quadruple murder and received a death sentence. Over twenty years later, Hutchinson is finally going to be put to death for the murders.
What happened on the night of September 11, 1998?
Her brother, Wesley Elmore, for example, thinks about how "her kids came first." He says, "regardless of what was happening, she made sure her kids ate, she made sure they were taken care of."
Wesley last saw his sister before Thanksgiving in 1997, and at the time, he felt like she was in “good hands” with Hutchinson, as they were preparing to move to Florida. Wesley remembers saying goodbye to his sister and her children and shaking Hutchinson's hand, saying he trusted him to take care of his family.
Hutchinson stated, "Wes, I promise I will." Months later, the family would be found dead with Hutchinson covered in blood, lying dazed on the garage floor, according to court documents.
The night of the killings began with Flaherty and Hutchinson having a heated argument, in the course of which Hutchinson packed his things and left the house for a bar.
Records of Hutchinson's testimony reveals that Hutchinson had spoken about Flaherty being angry at him driving erratically and coming back to the house. Hutchinson came back and forcibly entered the house by breaking down the door and shooting Flaherty, Amanda, and Logan in the master bedroom. Hutchinson shot Geoffrey last, after Geoffrey had witnessed the murder of his family.
In a monstrous turn of fate, Hutchinson placed a call to the police, confessing, "I just shot my family." Hutchinson later said two intruders shot and killed his family. The court rejected Hutchinson's account.
Jeffrey Hutchison is set for execution in Florida
Although Hutchinson has been diagnosed with Gulf War Syndrome, his defense team had raised concerns about his mental health that include competency for execution. One of the advocates of a stay, Maria DeLiberato, urged the state to pause in order to determine the long-term effect of Hutchinson's mental illness and brain damage.
Attorneys representing a U.S. Army veteran set to be executed in Florida contend that brain damage he suffered while serving in the Gulf War played a role in the brutal 1998 murders of his girlfriend and her three children.
Jeffrey Hutchinson, now 62, was convicted of murdering 32-year-old Renee Flaherty and her children--9-year-old Geoffrey, 7-year-old Amanda, and 4-year-old Logan. Hutchinson is scheduled to die by lethal injection at 6 p.m. ET on Thursday, May 1, making him the 15th person executed in the U.S. in 2023 and the fourth in Florida.
