A Florida man convicted of killing his girlfriend's infant daughter and discarding her body in a pond three decades ago is scheduled to be executed on Tuesday evening.
Execution Details
Andrew Richard Lukehart, 53, is slated to receive a three-drug lethal injection at 6 p.m. at Florida State Prison near Starke. He was sentenced to death in 1997 for first-degree murder and aggravated child abuse in the death of 5-month-old Gabrielle Hanshaw in 1996.
This execution would be Florida's eighth in 2026, following a record 19 executions in 2025. Republican Governor Ron DeSantis oversaw more executions last year than any other Florida governor since the death penalty was reinstated in 1976. The previous record was eight executions in 2014.
The Crime
According to court records, Lukehart was watching the baby in February 1996 while the mother cared for her older daughter, who was ill. The mother said Lukehart drove away from their Jacksonville home, and she could not find Gabrielle. Lukehart called about 30 minutes later, claiming the baby had been kidnapped and he was chasing the kidnapper.
Later that evening, Lukehart was found in a neighboring county after driving off the road. During questioning the next day, he admitted that Gabrielle died after he dropped her on her head and shook her. He said he panicked and threw the baby in a pond, where law enforcement later found her body.
Appeals Rejected
The Florida Supreme Court denied Lukehart's appeals last week. His attorneys argued that medication for kidney disease could react negatively with lethal injection drugs and that the short time between the death warrant and execution violated due process. The U.S. Supreme Court denied his final appeal on Monday.
National Context
In 2025, 47 people were executed in the U.S., with Florida leading after a series of death warrants signed by DeSantis. Alabama, South Carolina, and Texas tied for second with five executions each.
Another execution is planned later this month: Dusty Ray Spencer, 74, convicted of fatally stabbing his wife in 1992.
All Florida executions use lethal injection of a sedative, a paralytic, and a drug that stops the heart, according to the Department of Corrections.
