A Jacksonville man convicted of fracturing a 5-month-old baby’s head, throwing her body in a pond and claiming she had been abducted is scheduled to be the eighth person executed in Florida in 2026.
Andrew Lukehart was still on probation for felony child abuse in 1996 for another infant when he struck Gabrielle Hanshaw in the head five times, according to Gov. Ron DeSantis’ death warrant, issued May 1. He testified he “forcefully and repeatedly pushed her head and neck to the floor” when she wouldn’t lie still during a diaper change.
DeSantis issued Lukehart’s death warrant a day after James Hitchcock of Orlando was put to death for the 1976 rape and murder of his 13-year-old step-niece, Cynthia Driggers, as part of the state’s new, drastically accelerated execution pace. Of the 131 people executed in Florida in the last 50 years, nearly 20% of them (25) have been killed in the last 14 months.
Attorneys for the executed felons and anti-death-penalty advocates have raised concerns about the sudden speed at which Florida is clearing out death row, citing documents released last year, which seem to indicate the state has not followed its own lethal injection protocols and used the wrong or expired chemicals or insufficient dosages in multiple incidents. That could lead to cruel and unusual punishment during the execution, a violation of the Eighth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution.
Both the Florida Supreme Court and the U.S. Supreme Court have denied all appeals that have used that argument, although Justice Sonia Sotomayor had concerns over Florida’s protocols and secrecy, calling the state’s record “deeply troubling.”
If the planned executions go as scheduled, Lukehart will be the eighth person to be executed this year after the lethal injection of Richard Knight on May 21 for the stabbing murders of Odessia Stephens and her 4-year-old daughter, Hanessia Mullings.
When is Andrew Lukehart scheduled to be executed?
Lukehart is scheduled to be put to death by lethal injection starting at 6 p.m. ET on Tuesday, June 2, at Florida State Prison near Starke.
Who is Andrew Lukehart?
In 1996, Andrew Richard Lukehart was on probation from a 1994 conviction of child abuse for attacking an 8-month-old child, Jillian French, who was the daughter of the woman Lukehart was living with at the time. She suffered numerous injuries, “including broken ribs, retinal hemorrhages, and trauma to the head,” court records show.
He was living in Jacksonville with a woman named Misty Rhue, her two daughters Gabrielle and Ashley, and Rhue’s father and uncle, prosecutors said. On Feb. 25, 1996, after a day out, Rhue took Ashley to her bedroom, and Lukehart was left with Gabrielle. Lukehart entered the room to grab a diaper. Soon afterward, Rhue heard the car start and saw Lukehart driving away.
Lukehart called from a convenience store half an hour later and told her to call 911 because Gabrielle had been kidnapped, prosecutors said.
Lukehart was found without a shirt or shoes a block away from his abandoned. still-running car. Law enforcement from Jacksonville and Clay County searched for the child for 18 hours before Lukehart confessed that the baby died at the house after he dropped and shook her, court records show. He said he panicked and threw Gabrielle’s body in a pond near Normandy Boulevard. The body was recovered there.
During his trial, Lukehart said he used “quite a bit ” of force to push her down while trying to change her diaper, and used mouth-to-mouth to try to resuscitate her before he grabbed her and left. He said he hit her head on the car door, but the medical examiner testified that the baby had received five blows to the head before her death, two of which caused fractures.
Lukehart was convicted of first-degree murder and aggravated child abuse. A jury recommended death, 9-3. Multiple appeals over Miranda violations, court instructions, and the lack of any proof of premeditation were denied.
Who has Florida executed in 2026?
To date, the state of Florida has executed six people:
Former Lake County police officer James Duckett was scheduled for a March execution, but the execution was stayed pending DNA evidence.
Richard Knight, 47, is scheduled to be put to death on Thursday, May 21, for the stabbing murders of Odessia Stephens and her 4-year-old daughter, Hanessia Mullings
C. A. Bridges is a journalist for the USA TODAY Network-Florida’s service journalism Connect team. You can get all of Florida’s best content directly in your inbox each weekday day by signing up for the free newsletter, Florida TODAY.
This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Florida baby killer to be executed. What did Andrew Lukehart do?
Reporting by C. A. Bridges, USA TODAY NETWORK – Florida / Florida Times-Union
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