On Tuesday evening, a man was executed for the rape and murder of a woman near a bar in central Florida.
Thomas Lee Gudinas, 51, was confirmed dead at 6.13pm after receiving a lethal injection at a Florida state prison near Starke, according to Bryan Griffin, a spokesperson for Governor Ron DeSantis.
Gudinas was found guilty in 1994 of killing Michelle McGrath.
At 6.00pm, when the execution room curtain opened, Gudinas was already strapped to a gurney with an IV in his arm. After speaking with the governor’s office, the warden asked Gudinas if he wanted to make a final statement. Although his words couldn’t be heard by viewers, Griffin said Gudinas repented and mentioned Jesus.
Following the administration of drugs, Gudinas’ eyes rolled back, and he experienced slight chest convulsions. After several minutes, he lost his facial color and his body went still. The warden then confirmed the execution, and the curtain to the chamber was closed as witnesses were escorted out.
Gudinas was the seventh person executed in Florida this year, with another scheduled for next month. In total, 24 men have been put to death in the US so far in 2025, making it the highest number of executions since 2015.
Florida has executed more people than any other state this year, followed by Texas and South Carolina with four each. Despite the increase in executions, Florida department of corrections spokesperson Ted Veerman stated that there has been no significant operational strain.
McGrath was last seen leaving a bar called Barbarella’s around 3 a.m. on May 24, 1994. Her body was found several hours later in an alley next to a nearby school, showing signs of trauma and sexual assault.
Gudinas had also been at the same bar with friends that night, who all testified that they left without him. Later, a school employee identified Gudinas as the man fleeing the area, and another woman identified him as the person who chased her to her car the previous night and threatened to assault her.
Gudinas was convicted and sentenced to death in 1995. His appeals to the Florida and US Supreme Courts were rejected.
Attorneys for Gudinas argued that evidence related to his “lifelong mental illnesses” exempted him from execution. However, last week the Florida Supreme Court denied the appeals, ruling that case law only protects intellectually disabled individuals.
A separate federal filing claimed that the Florida governor’s unrestricted authority to issue death warrants violates death row inmates’ constitutional rights. The US Supreme Court denied Gudinas’s request for a stay of execution.
Officials said Gudinas visited with his mother on Tuesday, but did not meet with a spiritual advisor.
Thomas Lee Gudinas, 51, was confirmed dead at 6.13pm after receiving a lethal injection at a Florida state prison near Starke, according to Bryan Griffin, a spokesperson for Governor Ron DeSantis.
Gudinas was found guilty in 1994 of killing Michelle McGrath.
At 6.00pm, when the execution room curtain opened, Gudinas was already strapped to a gurney with an IV in his arm. After speaking with the governor’s office, the warden asked Gudinas if he wanted to make a final statement. Although his words couldn’t be heard by viewers, Griffin said Gudinas repented and mentioned Jesus.
Following the administration of drugs, Gudinas’ eyes rolled back, and he experienced slight chest convulsions. After several minutes, he lost his facial color and his body went still. The warden then confirmed the execution, and the curtain to the chamber was closed as witnesses were escorted out.
Gudinas was the seventh person executed in Florida this year, with another scheduled for next month. In total, 24 men have been put to death in the US so far in 2025, making it the highest number of executions since 2015.
Florida has executed more people than any other state this year, followed by Texas and South Carolina with four each. Despite the increase in executions, Florida department of corrections spokesperson Ted Veerman stated that there has been no significant operational strain.
McGrath was last seen leaving a bar called Barbarella’s around 3 a.m. on May 24, 1994. Her body was found several hours later in an alley next to a nearby school, showing signs of trauma and sexual assault.
Gudinas had also been at the same bar with friends that night, who all testified that they left without him. Later, a school employee identified Gudinas as the man fleeing the area, and another woman identified him as the person who chased her to her car the previous night and threatened to assault her.
Gudinas was convicted and sentenced to death in 1995. His appeals to the Florida and US Supreme Courts were rejected.
Attorneys for Gudinas argued that evidence related to his “lifelong mental illnesses” exempted him from execution. However, last week the Florida Supreme Court denied the appeals, ruling that case law only protects intellectually disabled individuals.
A separate federal filing claimed that the Florida governor’s unrestricted authority to issue death warrants violates death row inmates’ constitutional rights. The US Supreme Court denied Gudinas’s request for a stay of execution.
Officials said Gudinas visited with his mother on Tuesday, but did not meet with a spiritual advisor.
