Gulf War Vet Executed for Killing Girlfriend, Her 3 Kids

An Army combat veteran whose Gulf War experience triggered severe mental problems was executed Thursday evening in Florida for the 1998 shotgun slayings of his girlfriend and her three young children, the AP reports. Jeffrey Hutchinson, 62, was pronounced dead at 8:15pm following a lethal injection at Florida State Prison near Starke. He was the fourth person executed this year in the state under death warrants signed by Gov. Ron DeSantis, with a fifth execution set for May 15. Hutchinson had no last statement but appeared to be mumbling to himself as the procedure started just before 8pm. His legs shook sporadically, and he seemed to have body spasms for several minutes and then was still. The process took a little more than 15 minutes.

The execution was carried out soon after the US Supreme Court rejected a final appeal without comment. Court records showed that on the night of the killings in Crestview, Hutchinson argued with his girlfriend, 32-year-old Renee Flaherty, then packed his clothes and guns into a truck. Hutchinson went to a bar and drank some beer, telling staff there that Flaherty was angry with him before leaving abruptly. A short time later, a male caller told a 911 operator, "I just shot my family" from the house Hutchinson and Flaherty shared with the three children: 9-year-old Geoffrey, 7-year-old Amanda, and 4-year-old Logan. All were killed with a 12-gauge shotgun that was found on a kitchen counter. Hutchinson was located by police in the garage with a phone still connected to the 911 center and gunshot residue on his hands.

Hutchinson's lawyers said he suffered from Gulf War Illness—a series of health problems stemming from the 1990-1991 war in Iraq—as well as post-traumatic stress disorder and paranoia related to his claim that he was targeted by government surveillance. He had long claimed that he was innocent and that two unknown assailants perpetrated the killings under a US government conspiracy aimed at silencing his activism on claims including Gulf War illnesses involving veterans. Hutchinson served eight years in the Army, part of it as an elite Ranger. (More execution stories.)