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Man who killed his girlfriend’s baby is set to be Florida’s eighth execution of 2026
His attorneys argued Florida’s lethal injection protocol could cause severe pain because of his kidney disease, but the courts denied last-minute relief.
On Tuesday, June 2, 2026, Florida is scheduled to execute 53-year-old Andrew Richard Lukehart at Florida State Prison for the 1996 murder of 5-month-old Gabrielle Hanshaw.
Following a 1994 child abuse conviction, Lukehart confessed to killing Gabrielle and dumping her body in a pond after reporting a fake kidnapping.
In 1997, jurors convicted Lukehart of first-degree murder and aggravated child abuse, sentencing him to death in a 9-3 vote despite defense arguments of negligent manslaughter.
Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis oversaw 19 executions in 2025, and this marks Florida's eighth execution of 2026, continuing his record-setting trend.
Citing concerns regarding execution procedures following recent failures in other states like Tennessee, anti-death penalty advocates planned vigils at the prison in Raiford.