Florida is preparing Thursday to execute an Army veteran convicted in the 1998 shotgun killings of his girlfriend and three young children.
Jeffrey Hutchinson, 62, is set to receive a lethal injection starting at 6 p.m. at Florida State Prison near Starke in what will be the fourth execution in the state so far this year.
Hutchinson has long claimed he is innocent, and that two unknown assailants perpetrated the killings as part of a U.S. government conspiracy aimed at silencing him over his activism on claims of Gulf War illnesses and other issues affecting veterans, according to the Associated Press. Hutchinson served eight years in the Army, part of it as an elite Ranger.
In court filings, Hutchinson’s lawyers argued he suffers from Gulf War Illness (GWI) — a series of health problems stemming from the 1990-1991 war in Iraq — as well as post-traumatic stress disorder and paranoia related to his claim that he was targeted by government surveillance.
FLORIDA EXECUTES CONVICTED MURDERER, CHILD RAPIST BY LETHAL INJECTION AFTER SCOTUS DENIES APPEALS
Jeffrey Hutchinson is set to be executed in Florida on Thursday, May 1. (Florida Department of Corrections via AP)
The Department of Veterans Affairs describes GWI as a “prominent condition affecting Gulf War Veterans” with “medically unexplained chronic symptoms that can include fatigue, headaches, joint pain, indigestion, insomnia, dizziness, respiratory disorders, skin problems, and memory impairment.
“According to a 2020 Department of Defense report, GWI is estimated to affect 175,000 to 250,000 Veterans of the nearly 700,000 troops who were deployed to the Gulf War theater of operations from 1990 to 1991. GWI affects Veterans who served in the Army and the Marine Corps at higher rates than those who served in the Navy and Air Force, and enlisted personnel are affected more than others,” it also said.
Court records show that on the night of the murders in Crestview, Florida, Hutchinson had argued with his girlfriend, 32-year-old Renee Flaherty, then packed his clothes and guns into a truck. Hutchinson went to a bar and drank some beer, telling staff there that Flaherty was angry with him before leaving abruptly, the AP reported.
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Edward James, 63, was executed in Florida in March for the 1993 murders of 8-year-old Toni Neuner and her grandmother, 58-year-old Betty Dick. (Florida Department of Corrections)
A short time later, a male caller told a 911 operator “I just shot my family” from the house Hutchinson and Flaherty shared with the three children: 9-year-old Geoffrey, 7-year-old Amanda, and 4-year-old Logan. All were killed with a 12-gauge shotgun that was found on a kitchen counter. Hutchinson was located by police in the garage with a phone still connected to the 911 center and gunshot residue on his hands.
At his 2001 trial, Hutchinson based his defense on a claim that two unknown men came to the house, killing Flaherty and the children after he struggled with them. A jury found Hutchinson guilty of four counts of first-degree murder, and he was sentenced to life in prison for Flaherty’s killing and three death sentences for the children.
Last month, a judge rejected an appeal from Hutchinson’s lawyers who were seeking to delay his execution date by claiming Hutchinson is insane and therefore cannot be put to death.
“This Court finds that Jeffrey Hutchinson does not have any current mental illness,” the AP cited Bradford County Circuit Judge James Colaw as saying in his order.
Michael Tanzi was executed in Florida in early April. (Florida Department of Corrections)
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So far this year, 14 people have been executed in the U.S., including three in Florida, with Hutchinson to become the fourth. A fifth Florida execution is scheduled for May 15 for Glen Rogers, who was convicted of killing a woman at a motel in 1997.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
