Florida to execute convicted war veteran: Man sentenced for killing partner and her three children
Jeffrey Hutchinson, sentenced for a 1998 crime, will receive a lethal injection on May 1 at Bradford County Jail, barring a last-minute pardon.
This Wednesday, May 1, the state of Florida will carry out the execution of Jeffrey Hutchinson, a 62-year-old former military officer convicted of murdering his partner and her three children in 1998. The condemned man will receive a lethal injection at the Florida Correctional Center in Bradford County.
The execution will proceed unless a last-minute pardon suspends the sentence. Hutchinson's defense argued that the defendant suffered from mental disorders associated with his participation in the Gulf War between 1990 and 1991. However, the courts rejected the appeals, allowing the execution process to continue.
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Case details: Family crime in 1998
According to court records, the crime occurred on September 11, 1998, following an argument between Hutchinson and his partner, Renee Flaherty, 32. After briefly leaving the home, the defendant returned armed with a shotgun and shot Flaherty, who was in a bedroom with her children, Amanda, seven, and Logan, four. Both children were also struck by gunfire.
The eldest son, Geoffrey, nine, was killed while trying to approach the scene after hearing the gunshots. After committing the murders, Hutchinson called police and surrendered, stating, "I just shot my family." Upon arriving at the scene, officers found gunpowder residue on his hands and bloodstains on his clothing.
Amanda, Geoffrey, and Logan Flaherty are seen in a photo when they were alive. Photo: USA Today
Legal context and mental health of the convicted person
During the trial, Hutchinson offered a different version, claiming that two masked individuals carried out the murders. However, the evidence against him was conclusive. If the execution goes ahead, it will be the fifteenth in the United States in 2025, and the fourth carried out in Florida this year.
The former soldier's defense argued that he suffered from what the Department of Veterans Affairs identifies as Gulf War Illness (GWI), a set of chronic symptoms that affect Gulf War veterans. According to official estimates, this condition could affect between 175,000 and 250,000 veterans, primarily from the Army and Marine Corps, more than other military branches.
