Last night, We the People of the State of Florida executed U.S. Army Veteran Richard Barry Randolph (Malik Abdul-Sajjad) for the 1988 murder of Minnie Ruth McCollum. Malik was the 17th person executed this year, and the seventh veteran Florida has put to death in 2025. As we shared in our public statement, Malik’s life was shaped by lies, trauma, abandonment, and a defense that never told his story to his jury. Florida chose to ignore all of it. The State killed a man who survived catastrophic childhood abuse, served his country, found his faith, mentored others for three decades, and reunited with the birth mother who spent 50 years searching for him. If you haven’t yet, please take a few moments to read Liliana Segura’s astounding piece detailing his life and the crime that led to him ending up on Florida’s death row. I think you’ll find it well worth your time.
In the last weeks of his life, Malik repeatedly expressed to his friends, family, and legal team that he felt reassured to know that there were people all around the world who were hearing his story. Your willingness to listen gave him great relief, and allowed him to see that people recognized him for more than the worst thing he ever did. For that, I am very grateful to all of you.
Less Than Three Weeks for Mark Geralds
Florida is scheduled to execute Mark Allen Geralds on December 9. Mr. Geralds has waived all of his remaining appeals, leaving him with no legal avenues and no review of the serious constitutional issues in his case. As with James Barnes (executed in 2023) and Norman Grim (executed just weeks ago), we must confront the truth that these “voluntary” waivers do not occur in a vacuum. They emerge from years of trauma, abandonment, hopelessness, and a death-penalty machinery that is now moving faster than courts can review cases.
Mark’s case raises deeply troubling questions. Forensic evidence from the crime scene did not match him — including blood, fingerprints, and hair — and a bloody handkerchief inside the Pettibone home matched neither the victim nor Mr. Geralds. Key FDLE notes and investigative materials pointing to other suspects were never disclosed and surfaced only decades later in a long-hidden State Attorney file. His trial lawyers presented no defense case at all, and decades ago the courts accepted his diagnosis of bipolar disorder as valid mitigation. None of this has received meaningful review.
Florida has now executed 17 people this year. Not one received a stay. The State is relying on speed, exhaustion, and silence. That is exactly why we refuse to look away.
Please continue taking action for Mark — sign the petition, send a message to the Governor, and share this information widely. We will not allow the State to treat hopelessness as consent.
Frank Walls: One More Life at Risk in December
And we cannot forget that Florida has another execution scheduled less than ten days after Mark’s. On December 18, the state plans to execute Frank Walls for the 1987 murder of Ann Peterson. Frank was 19 years old at the time of this crime, and is a person with clearly established intellectual disability. Under longstanding constitutional principles, people with intellectual disability cannot be executed. His case raises serious concerns about fairness, legality, and the basic moral integrity of our system. As Florida barrels toward its eighteenth execution of the year, we ask you to take action for Frank as well. Please sign his petition.
Onward,
Grace Hanna
FADP Executive Director
P.S. Many of you have asked how to stay involved as Florida moves toward more scheduled executions in just a few weeks. Please share our statements, sign and circulate the petitions for Mark Geralds and Frank Walls, and join us at the upcoming vigils, and donate if you are able. And if you’d like to support our work publicly, you can find FADP shirts and gear in our online store. Every action you take helps us build the collective power we need to end this cycle once and for all.