US Veteran Put to Death for Killing Partner and Her Three Children

A 62-year-old Gulf War veteran convicted of the brutal murders of his girlfriend and her three young children was executed by lethal injection in Florida on Thursday evening.

Jeffrey Hutchinson was sentenced to death for the 1998 killings of 32-year-old Renee Flaherty and her children Geoffrey, 9, Amanda, 7, and Logan, 4. The Florida Department of Corrections confirmed his execution took place at 8:14pm local time (0014 GMT Friday).

Hutchinson’s legal team had sought to halt the execution, arguing that he suffered from mental illness linked to his military service during the 1990-1991 Gulf War. However, the appeals were rejected by the courts.

According to court records, Hutchinson had an argument with Flaherty on the evening of 11 September 1998, after which he packed his belongings and firearms into his truck and went to a local bar. Upon returning to the home they shared, he fatally shot Flaherty and the children using a 12-gauge shotgun.

In a chilling 911 call placed after the shootings, Hutchinson told the dispatcher: “I just shot my family.” Responding officers found him dazed on the floor of the garage, his clothes stained with blood and his hands testing positive for gunshot residue. The phone remained connected to the emergency operator when police arrived.

Despite overwhelming evidence, Hutchinson insisted at trial that two masked intruders had broken into the home, killed Flaherty and the children, and then fled. The jury did not accept his version of events.

His execution brings the number of people put to death in the United States this year to 15—11 by lethal injection, two by firing squad, and two using nitrogen gas.

Capital punishment remains a contentious issue in the US. The death penalty has been abolished in 23 states, while three others—California, Oregon, and Pennsylvania—have active moratoriums on its use.

Former President Donald Trump has been a vocal supporter of the death penalty, calling on his first day in office for it to be expanded to cover what he termed “the vilest crimes”.