Veteran condemned for the murder of their partner and three children in 1998

A veteran of the United States Army was executed last Thursday, May 1 in Florida for the shots murder of their partner and the three young children of both, a crime that shuddered the CrestView community in 1998.

Jeffrey Hutchinsonveteran of the Gulf war, 62, was declared dead at 8:15 pm after receiving a lethal injection into the Florida state Prisonnear Starke, the agency reported Associated Press, AP.

The execution was carried out shortly after the Florida Supreme Court rejected a final appeal without comments. It is the fourth execution that is carried out this year in the stateunder orders signed by Governor Ron Desantis.

Hutchinson did not offer a last public statement, although witnesses indicated that he murmured for himself while the procedure began. He was observed with tremors on his legs and spasms for several minutes, before being motionless. The whole process lasted just over 15 minutes.

A brutal crime and a call confessing

The night of the crime, on August 25, 1998, Hutchinson discussed with his partner, Renee Flaherty32, he packed his belongings and weapons, and left the house to drink beer in a local bar. According to the establishment’s staff, he told them that his girlfriend was upset with him before leaving abruptly.

Minutes later, A 911 call shook the operators: “I just shoot my family,” said a male voice.

The police went to the house they shared and He found Flaherty lifeless and his three children, Geoffrey (9), Amanda (7) y Logan (4), all killed with a 12 -caliber shotgun.

Hutchinson was found in the garage, even with the phone connected to 911 and with gunpowder residues in his hands.

During the trial in 2001, Hutchinson claimed that two unknown men had broken into the house and committed the murdersbut a jury declared him guilty of four first -degree murder positions. He received life imprisonment for Flaherty’s death and death sentences for the three minors.

Throughout more than two decades, His defense presented multiple appeals, mainly focused on his mental health. The lawyers argued that Hutchinson suffered the so -called Gulf War diseaseposttraumatic stress disorder (PTSP) and paranoia derived from his experience as a veteran and his complaint of alleged government surveillance.

Bradford County Judge, James Colawhe dismissed the last attempt to stop execution on April 27, considering that The conviction had full understanding of the punishment he faced.

Hutchinson served for eight years in the army, some of them as elite ranger, and He argued that the government had silenced him for his complaints about the effects of war on veterans.

Darran Johnsonbrother of the victim, he said after the execution that he had “done justice, but the pain of the family will never end. He does not spend a day without us thinking about loved ones who were taken away from us.”

According to official data, 15 people have been executed in the United States so far from 2025. One of the most active states in the Application of capital punishment is Floridawhere A fifth execution is scheduled for May 15in which They will execute Glen Rogersa multiple murderer convicted of crimes in several states.

The execution that preceded Hutchinson’s was on April 8 to Michael Tanzia man who murdered almost 25 years ago Janet Acostaan employee of the newspaper Miami Herald.

Frequently asked questions about the execution of Jeffrey Hutchinson and the death penalty in Florida