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yesterday

Florida to Execute Thomas Gudinas on June 24 as Discretion Debate Reaches U.S. Supreme Court

Attorneys are urging a stay from the U.S. Supreme Court to expose what they call Governor Ron DeSantis’ arbitrary death warrant process.

FILE - Clouds hover over the entrance of the Florida State Prison in Starke, Fla., Aug. 3, 2023. (AP Photo/Curt Anderson, file)
This is the booking mug of Thomas Gudinas who was later convicted and sentenced to death for the May 24, 1994 rape and fatal beating of Michelle McGrath.
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Overview

  • Thomas Gudinas, convicted in 1995 for the 1994 rape and murder of Michelle McGrath, is set to be executed by lethal injection on June 24 at Florida State Prison.
  • His legal team appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court on June 23 seeking a stay of execution and the release of records on Governor Ron DeSantis’ death warrant decisions.
  • His attorneys contend that Gudinas is severely mentally ill and should be spared from execution.
  • The petition challenges Governor Ron DeSantis’ lack of formal guidelines for issuing death warrants as an arbitrary and opaque process.
  • Florida has carried out 110 executions since 1983 with no commutations, and the Florida Supreme Court’s denial of Gudinas’ final appeal marked its 140th consecutive ruling against death row inmates.