An execution date has been set for a Florida man who killed his girlfriend's baby and attempted to cover up the crime. Andrew Richard Lukehart, 53, was convicted and sentenced to death for the murder of five-month-old Gabrielle Hanshaw in February 1996. Florida Governor Ron DeSantis signed his ninth death warrant this year for Lukehart, who is now scheduled to die by lethal injection on June 2, 2026.
The Crime
According to court records obtained by News4Jax, Lukehart, who was 22 at the time, attempted to change Gabrielle's diaper. When she would not lie flat, he 'forcefully and repeatedly pushed her head and neck to the floor,' killing her. The murderer then disposed of the infant's body in a nearby pond and fled the scene. About 30 minutes later, he called his girlfriend and claimed an individual had kidnapped the girl and that he was chasing them. Lukehart initially told police that Gabrielle was snatched from the front of his partner's home, but he later contradicted himself, claiming the abduction occurred at a store. He eventually admitted to the heinous crimes and the killing of the infant.
Trial and Sentencing
During his trial, Lukehart testified and told jurors that he handled the baby so violently that she stopped breathing, causing him to 'panic.' 'I got scared, and I started to panic, and I ran outside, threw the diaper away, and I jumped into my car and started it up and left,' he said. 'I felt bad. I felt guilty,' he added. After an hour and a half of deliberation, the jury declared Lukehart guilty. A month after his conviction, in March 1997, the jury voted 9–3 to recommend the death penalty. Upon hearing the ruling, an eerily stoic Lukehart sat in court, while his family caused a scene—his mother became distraught and ran out of the courtroom shouting.
Context of Capital Punishment in Florida
This death sentencing follows another Florida killer who was executed on Thursday after he murdered his brother's stepdaughter five decades ago. James Ernest Hitchcock, 70, was convicted of strangling and beating 13-year-old Cynthia Driggers to death in 1976. Hitchcock was executed by lethal injection at about 6:12 p.m. at Florida State Prison after Governor Ron DeSantis signed his death warrant on March 30. Last year, 47 people received the death penalty and were executed in the US. Florida had the most executions, with Alabama, South Carolina, and Texas all tying for second with five executions each in 2025. In Florida, all executions are carried out by lethal injection, with a sedative, paralytic, and a drug that stops the heart all administered to the subject, according to the Department of Corrections.
