{"id":75315,"date":"2026-06-02T00:42:14","date_gmt":"2026-06-02T04:42:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/florida-man-faces-execution-for-1996-murder-of-girlfriends-infant\/"},"modified":"2026-06-02T00:42:14","modified_gmt":"2026-06-02T04:42:14","slug":"florida-man-faces-execution-for-1996-murder-of-girlfriends-infant","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/florida-man-faces-execution-for-1996-murder-of-girlfriends-infant\/","title":{"rendered":"Florida Man Faces Execution for 1996 Murder of Girlfriend’s Infant"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n

STARKE, Fla. \u2014 A Florida man who admitted to fatally harming his girlfriend’s 5-month-old daughter and disposing of her body in a pond 30 years ago faces execution Tuesday night.<\/p>

Andrew Richard Lukehart, 53, is slated to receive a lethal three-drug injection beginning at 6 p.m. at Florida State Prison near Starke. A jury convicted him of first-degree murder and aggravated child abuse in 1997 for killing baby Gabrielle Hanshaw in 1996, leading to his death sentence.<\/p>

The execution would mark Florida’s eighth this year, coming after a record-breaking 19 executions in 2025. Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis presided over more executions in 2025 than any Florida governor since capital punishment resumed in 1976. The prior record stood at eight executions in 2014.<\/p>

Court documents reveal that in February 1996, Lukehart was babysitting his girlfriend’s infant while she tended to her sick older daughter at their Jacksonville residence. The girlfriend reported that Lukehart left the home in his vehicle, and baby Gabrielle was nowhere to be found. About half an hour later, Lukehart contacted his girlfriend and instructed her to contact authorities, claiming the infant had been abducted and he was pursuing the kidnapper.<\/p>

That same evening, authorities located Lukehart in an adjacent county after his vehicle had crashed off the roadway. During interrogation the following day, Lukehart admitted to investigators that Gabrielle died when he dropped her on her head and subsequently shook her. He told officers he became frightened and disposed of the baby’s body in a pond. Authorities searched the water and recovered the child’s remains.<\/p>

Last week, the Florida Supreme Court rejected Lukehart’s appeals. His legal team argued that kidney disease medication he was taking might interact dangerously with the execution drugs. They also contended that scheduling the execution just one month after the death warrant was signed violated his due process rights.<\/p>

On Monday, the U.S. Supreme Court turned down Lukehart’s final appeal.<\/p>

Nationwide, 47 individuals were executed in 2025. Florida topped the list with numerous death warrants issued by DeSantis. Alabama, South Carolina and Texas each carried out five executions, tying for second place.<\/p>

Florida has another execution scheduled later this month. Dusty Ray Spencer, 74, received a death sentence for the fatal stabbing of his wife in 1992.<\/p>

The state Department of Corrections reports that all Florida executions use lethal injection involving a sedative, a paralytic agent and a drug that stops the heart.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Andrew Richard Lukehart, 53, is scheduled for execution Tuesday evening for the 1996 murder of his girlfriend’s 5-month-old daughter. This would mark Florida’s eighth execution this year following a record 19 executions in 2025.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":75314,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[831],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-75315","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-us-news"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/news-1780375334710.jpg?fit=1000%2C666&ssl=1","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pbtNqq-jAL","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":59713,"url":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/florida-man-set-for-execution-thursday-in-1976-murder-of-13-year-old-step-niece\/","url_meta":{"origin":75315,"position":0},"title":"Florida Man Set for Execution Thursday in 1976 Murder of 13-Year-Old Step-Niece","author":"Admin","date":"April 30, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"James Ernest Hitchcock, 70, is scheduled to be executed Thursday evening for the 1976 murder of his 13-year-old step-niece in Orlando. This would mark Florida's sixth execution this year following a record-breaking 19 executions in 2025.","rel":"","context":"In "U.S. News"","block_context":{"text":"U.S. News","link":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/category\/us-news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/news-1777549170864.png?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/news-1777549170864.png?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/news-1777549170864.png?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/news-1777549170864.png?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/news-1777549170864.png?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":30729,"url":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/florida-executes-man-who-killed-police-officer-with-his-own-gun-in-1991\/","url_meta":{"origin":75315,"position":1},"title":"Florida Executes Man Who Killed Police Officer With His Own Gun in 1991","author":"Admin","date":"March 3, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"Billy Leon Kearse, 53, was executed Tuesday evening in Florida for the 1991 murder of Fort Pierce Police Officer Danny Parrish. Kearse shot the officer 14 times with his own service weapon during a traffic stop after struggling during an arrest attempt.","rel":"","context":"In "U.S. News"","block_context":{"text":"U.S. News","link":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/category\/us-news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/news-1772517766532.jpg?fit=1000%2C666&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/news-1772517766532.jpg?fit=1000%2C666&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/news-1772517766532.jpg?fit=1000%2C666&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/news-1772517766532.jpg?fit=1000%2C666&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":26315,"url":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/florida-prepares-to-execute-65-year-old-man-for-1986-grocery-store-murder\/","url_meta":{"origin":75315,"position":2},"title":"Florida Prepares to Execute 65-Year-Old Man for 1986 Grocery Store Murder","author":"Admin","date":"February 24, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"A 65-year-old man convicted of murdering a grocery store owner during a 1986 robbery is scheduled for execution Tuesday evening in Florida. Melvin Trotter would become the second person executed in the state this year, continuing Florida's aggressive pace of carrying out death sentences.","rel":"","context":"In "U.S. News"","block_context":{"text":"U.S. News","link":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/category\/us-news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/news-1771940039035.png?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/news-1771940039035.png?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/news-1771940039035.png?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/news-1771940039035.png?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/news-1771940039035.png?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":69234,"url":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/arizona-inmate-faces-execution-for-fatal-2002-burning-attack\/","url_meta":{"origin":75315,"position":3},"title":"Arizona Inmate Faces Execution for Fatal 2002 Burning Attack","author":"Admin","date":"May 20, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"A 63-year-old Arizona death row inmate is scheduled for lethal injection Wednesday for killing a man by dousing him with gasoline and setting him on fire in 2002. Leroy Dean McGill was convicted of murder in the death of Charles Perez, who died from severe burns after the attack at\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "U.S. News"","block_context":{"text":"U.S. News","link":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/category\/us-news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/news-1779252021189.jpg?fit=1000%2C523&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/news-1779252021189.jpg?fit=1000%2C523&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/news-1779252021189.jpg?fit=1000%2C523&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/news-1779252021189.jpg?fit=1000%2C523&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":43096,"url":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/florida-high-court-stops-ex-cops-execution-pending-dna-testing\/","url_meta":{"origin":75315,"position":4},"title":"Florida High Court Stops Ex-Cop’s Execution Pending DNA Testing","author":"Admin","date":"March 26, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"The Florida Supreme Court has temporarily stopped the scheduled execution of James Aren Duckett, a former police officer convicted of killing an 11-year-old girl in 1987. 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