Florida Death Row Case Closes

Andrew Lukehart, a man on Florida’s death row for nearly three decades, was executed Tuesday evening after the state Supreme Court denied his final appeal. Convicted in 1996 for brutally murdering his girlfriend’s five-month-old daughter — staging a false abduction story before leading police to the body — Lukehart was 53 when he died at 6:19 PM. His crime came while he was already on probation for a prior child abuse conviction. Despite evidence of his own abusive childhood that swayed three jurors to favor life, the jury ultimately recommended death. Lukehart’s execution marks Florida’s eighth this year and the 36th under Governor Ron DeSantis, following a legal shift allowing an 8-4 jury vote for execution — a change that lowered the bar from requiring unanimity. His defense had argued the death was accidental, but jurors convicted him of first-degree murder and aggravated child abuse. Support the show:Get a discount at https://solipillow.com/discount/dnn. Advertise on DNN:[email protected] This is an automated, high-level news summary based on public reporting.Report issues to [email protected]. View sources & latest updates:https://sources.thednn.ai/dabf696f978a38b4