26 June 2025 :
June 24, 2025 - Florida. Thomas Lee Gudinas, 51, White, was executed on June 24
Gudinas was pronounced dead at 6.13pm after receiving a lethal injection at Florida state prison near Starke.
He was executed for the rape and murder of Michelle McGrath, 27, White, on May 24, 1994.
Gudinas’ lawyers had argued that he should be spared due to what they described as lifelong mental illness, but the Florida Supreme Court rejected that claim last week, ruling that protections for intellectually disabled individuals do not extend to those with other mental or psychological conditions.
McGrath was last seen leaving Barbarella’s, a downtown Orlando nightclub, shortly before 3 a.m. on May 24, 1994. Her body was found several hours later in an alley near a nearby school, showing signs of severe trauma and sexual assault.
Witnesses placed Gudinas at the scene, and another woman testified that he had chased and threatened her earlier that same night. He was convicted and sentenced to death in 1995.
Gudinas becomes the 7th condemned inmate to be put to death this year in Florida and the 113th overall since the state resumed capital punishment in 1979. Only Texas (595) and Oklahoma (129) have executed more people since the July 2, 1976 US Supreme Court decision of Gregg v Georgia allowed states to resume executions after a 4 year moratorium. Virginia, which is now tied with Florida with 113 executions, abolished the death penalty in 2021.
Gudinas becomes the 24th condemned inmate to be put to death this year in the USA and the 1,631st overall since the nation resumed executions in 1977.
