Florida is set to execute a death row inmate, despite last-minute appeals from his legal team claiming that his mental illness, allegedly stemming from Gulf War service, should exempt him from the death penalty.
Jeffrey Hutchinson, 62, was convicted in 2001 of the 1998 shotgun murders of his girlfriend, Renee Flaherty, and her three children in Crestview, Florida, according to NJ.
Hutchinson, a former Army Ranger who served in the Gulf War, has long maintained his innocence, alleging that he was framed as part of a government conspiracy to silence his activism around Gulf War Illness (GWI). He has also claimed to suffer from PTSD and paranoia as a result of his service.
Court documents show that Hutchinson had an argument with Flaherty on the night of the murders, left to drink at a local bar, and shortly after, a 911 call came from their home in which a man said, "I just shot my family." When police arrived, they found Flaherty and her three children—aged 4 to 9—dead from shotgun wounds and Hutchinson with gunshot residue on his hands.
A jury sentenced him to life in prison for Flaherty's murder and to death for each of the children's deaths.
Despite attempts by Hutchinson's attorneys to delay the execution on the grounds of mental illness, a Florida judge ruled last month that Hutchinson does not meet the legal threshold for insanity. His execution is scheduled for 6 p.m. on Thursday at Florida State Prison, marking the state's fourth execution of 2025.
