Florida is preparing to carry out its seventeenth execution of 2025, a new state record, as death row inmate Richard Barry Randolph is scheduled to receive a lethal injection for a brutal 1988 murder.
A Brutal Crime and a Death Sentence
Richard Barry Randolph, now 63, was convicted and sentenced to death in 1989 for the murder, armed robbery, sexual battery, and grand theft of his former manager, Minnie Ruth McCollum. The crime took place in August 1988 at the Handy-Way convenience store in Palatka, Florida, where Randolph had previously been employed.
According to official court records, Randolph was attempting to break into the store's safe when he was discovered by McCollum. A violent struggle ensued, during which Randolph fatally beat, strangled, and stabbed the manager. He then sexually assaulted her before fleeing the scene in her car.
The Aftermath and Arrest
Three women witnessed Randolph leaving the store and, upon seeing the disarray inside, promptly alerted the sheriff's office. A deputy arrived to find Minnie Ruth McCollum still alive. She was rushed to hospital in a coma but succumbed to severe brain injuries six days later.
Randolph's freedom was short-lived. He was arrested shortly after the attack at a grocery store in Jacksonville, where he was attempting to borrow money and cash in lottery tickets stolen from the Handy-Way. Investigators stated that Randolph confessed to the crime and led them to the bloody clothing he had discarded.
Record-Breaking Executions in Florida
Randolph's execution, scheduled for 6 p.m. at Florida State Prison near Starke, will be the state's 17th this year, dramatically extending its previous annual record. The highest previous total for Florida was eight executions, recorded in 2014.
This case contributes to a national figure, with 43 men having died by court-ordered execution in the United States so far in 2025. Florida has executed more people than any other state this year, followed by Alabama, South Carolina, and Texas, with five executions each.
Last week, the Florida Supreme Court denied Randolph's final appeals, in which he argued that a lower court had abused its discretion in denying him access to public records and that his defence lawyers had acted without his consent. A final appeal was still pending before the U.S. Supreme Court.
The state's execution protocol involves a three-drug cocktail: a sedative, a paralytic agent, and a drug that stops the heart. Two further executions are planned in Florida before the year ends, with death warrants signed by Republican Governor Ron DeSantis.
