Despite his claims of innocence and mental illness from his military service, Florida is set to execute Gulf War veteran Jeffrey Hutchinson today.
Governor Ron DeSantis continues his tough-on-crime approach with this fourth execution of 2025.
The execution comes even as Hutchinson maintains the government is silencing him for exposing Gulf War illness secrets.
The 62-year-old Army veteran faces the death penalty for the 1998 shotgun killings of girlfriend Renee Flaherty and her three children.
The Army veteran served eight years, including as an elite Ranger, before his life took a tragic turn.
His execution at Florida State Prison marks DeSantis’ continued commitment to carrying out justice for heinous crimes.
Evidence against Hutchinson appears overwhelming. Police found him with gunshot residue on his hands, and a 911 call from the house stated, “I just shot my family.”
A shotgun was also recovered at the scene. Despite this, Hutchinson maintains, “I did not kill Renee and the kids and I believe I was framed.”
Court records show Hutchinson argued with Flaherty before the murders.
He was convicted in 2001 of four counts of first-degree murder, receiving life for Flaherty’s murder and death sentences for killing the children.
His numerous appeals have all failed, with courts consistently rejecting his mental health claims.
Bradford County Circuit Judge James Colaw decisively rejected Hutchinson’s latest appeal, which sought to delay execution on the grounds of insanity.
Colaw determined that Hutchinson is mentally competent and fully understands why he faces execution, dismissing claims that his military service left him unfit for capital punishment.
“This Court finds that Mr. Hutchinson’s purported delusion is demonstrably false. Jeffrey Hutchinson does not lack the mental capacity to understand the reason for the pending execution,” the judge wrote.
Despite this ruling, Hutchinson’s defense team continues to argue that he suffers from Gulf War Illness, PTSD, and paranoia.
His lawyers claim he has “a decades-long delusion that he is being executed to silence his efforts to expose government secrets.”
Two defense experts concluded he is not competent for execution, but the court remained unpersuaded.
The DeSantis administration has been steadfast in carrying out justice through capital punishment.
Hutchinson’s execution will be the 14th in the United States this year, with Florida accounting for a significant portion.
Edward James was executed for a 1993 double murder, James Dennis Ford for a 1997 double murder, and Michael Tanzi was scheduled for April 8 for a 2000 kidnapping and murder.
For Hutchinson’s execution, Florida will employ its standard lethal injection protocol: a sedative, followed by a paralytic, and finally a drug that stops the heart.
Another Florida execution is already scheduled for May 15, demonstrating the state’s commitment to justice for victims of violent crime.
