Florida executes Richard Barry Randolph, convicted of raping, killing former convenience store manager
Florida executed a man Thursday who was convicted of raping and killing his former manager at a convenience store in 1988, marking the state’s record 17th execution this year.
Gov. Ron DeSantis’ office told The Associated Press that 63-year-old Richard Barry Randolph was pronounced dead at 6:12 p.m. after receiving a three-drug injection at Florida State Prison near Starke.
A year later, in 1989, Randolph was convicted of murder, armed robbery, sexual battery and grand theft and sentenced to death.
A spokesperson for the governor said there were no complications during the procedure and that Randolph had no last words.
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Randolph woke at 6:30 a.m. and later ate a cheeseburger, fries and ice cream, according to a state Department of Corrections official. He had one visitor during the day but did not meet with a spiritual advisor.
Three members of the victim’s family were expected to attend the execution, which began around 6 p.m.
Randolph’s death extended Florida’s record for executions in a single year to 17.
The U.S. Supreme Court reinstated the death penalty in 1976, and, until now, the highest annual total in Florida was eight in 2014.
Court records show Randolph tried to break into a safe at a Palatka convenience store in August 1988, according to the AP. Randolph, a former employee, was spotted by manager Minnie Ruth McCollum, and the two struggled.
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Randolph beat, strangled, stabbed and raped McCollum before fleeing the store in her car.
Three women saw Randolph leaving and called the sheriff’s office after noticing the store was in disarray.
A responding deputy found McCollum still alive and took her to a hospital, where she remained in a coma. She died six days later of severe brain injuries, doctors said.
Randolph was arrested soon after at a Jacksonville grocery store while trying to borrow money and cash in stolen lottery tickets. Investigators said he admitted to the attack and led them to bloody clothing he had discarded.
The Florida Supreme Court last week denied Randolph’s appeal to overturn his conviction. He argued the lower court abused its discretion by denying him access to public records and that his lawyers acted without his consent.
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Florida has carried out more executions than any other state this year, followed by Alabama, South Carolina and Texas with five each. Two more executions are planned next month under death warrants signed by Republican Gov. DeSantis.
Mark Allen Geralds, 58, is scheduled for Florida’s 18th execution Dec. 9. He was convicted of fatally stabbing a woman during a home invasion robbery.
Frank Athen Walls, 58, will become Florida’s 19th executed prisoner on Dec. 18. He was convicted of fatally shooting a man and a woman during a home invasion robbery and later confessed to three other killings.
Florida’s lethal injections use a sedative, a paralytic and a drug that stops the heart, according to the Department of Corrections.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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