Last night, a Florida man convicted of a 1988 murder was executed, marking the state's unprecedented 17th execution this year. Richard Barry Randolph, 63, was pronounced dead at 6:12 p.m. after a lethal injection consisting of a three-drug cocktail was administered at Florida State Prison, as ABC News reported.
Convicted in 1989 of the brutal killing of Minnie Ruth McCollum, his former manager at the Handy-Way convenience store in Palatka, Randolph's crime included rape, armed robbery, sexual battery, and grand theft. According to FOX 13 News, the attack occurred after Randolph was caught attempting to hastily break into the store safe by McCollum, leading to a struggle that ended in her tragic death days later due to severe brain injuries.
Further details provided by Fox News indicate that Randolph was arrested shortly after the attack at a Jacksonville grocery store. He was trying to borrow money and cash lottery tickets stolen from the store when he was detained. Randolph later admitted to the crimes and directed investigators to bloody clothing that he had discarded.
Randolph's execution adds to a stark tally that has Florida leading in capital punishment this year, with Alabama, South Carolina, and Texas following at a distance with five executions each. Despite his appeals being denied by the Florida Supreme Court, an ultimate effort to overturn his conviction was still pending before the U.S. Supreme Court up until the execution, as noted by both FOX 13 News and Fox News.
The previous record for executions in a single year in Florida was eight, set back in 2014. However, with this latest execution, the state has more than doubled that number. Florida's Department of Corrections utilizes a lethal injection protocol involving a sedative, a paralytic and a heart-stopping drug. Two additional executions are scheduled for December, further extending this already record-setting year, according to ABC News.
