STARKE, Fla. — Tonight, We, the People of the State of Florida, executed Andrew Lukehart. His murder of five-month-old Gabrielle Hanshaw was horrific, and it remains an open wound for her family and loved ones. Indeed, the loss of a child is always tragic. We mourn for Gabrielle, and we lament the circumstances that led to her death.
Today, news stories will recount the facts of Gabrielle’s death in graphic detail. They will explain how she died and how Andrew killed her. But those facts are not suddenly more important today than they were yesterday. Andrew has been incarcerated for nearly three decades. Had he received a life sentence rather than a death sentence, there would be no statewide media coverage, no breaking news alerts, and no public debate about whether he deserved to live or die. He would have remained in prison until his natural death, largely forgotten by the public.
Gabrielle’s family could have spent the intervening years cherishing who she was, how much she was loved, and who she could have been. Instead, Andrew’s death sentence has repeatedly dragged them back to the tragedy that took her life. This is just one of the many cruelties of the death penalty.
It is impossible to meaningfully talk about Gabrielle’s death without also talking about the life of Andrew Lukehart. Andrew’s own life had been shaped by years of violence, abuse, neglect, and disregard for his humanity. Recognizing that reality does not diminish the loss of Gabrielle Hanshaw. It helps explain how such a tragedy became possible in the first place.
What Andrew did when he was 22 years old was a tragedy. It was also the act of a profoundly damaged young man who had grown up surrounded by severe physical and sexual abuse, violence, instability, intellectual limitations, and untreated trauma. Long before Gabrielle’s death, Andrew struggled with depression, hopelessness, and a deep sense of worthlessness rooted in the very people who were supposed to love and protect him. His frustrated actions were those of a person who was ill-equipped to manage an infant and incapable of handling the profound responsibility of caring for a child.
Overcome with guilt, despair, and horror at what he had done, he attempted to take his own life by driving his vehicle into a tree. Officers placed him under Florida’s Baker Act. Then, Andrew led law enforcement to Gabrielle’s body and acknowledged responsibility for her death. When the case went to trial, he testified that although he did not intend to kill Gabrielle, he alone was to blame.
During his trial, jurors heard the details of this crime and weighed them against the reality of Andrew’s life leading up to his actions in 1996. Three of them concluded that he could be held accountable and safely housed in prison for the rest of his life. They believed that death was not necessary. Those jurors were right.
Over the course of his 26 years on death row, Andrew settled into the rhythmic routine of prison life. And, over the past 18 months, he watched as Florida’s pace of executions accelerated and man after man was taken from the wing and executed. When his own death warrant was signed, Andrew turned to the men around him and thanked them for being his friends. He then called his beloved aunt, knowing the news of his impending death would break her heart, and assured her that he was going to be okay.
Andrew formed deep and meaningful relationships with the religious volunteers who walked alongside him during his years on death row. His Catholic faith was a constant source of strength, comfort, and dignity, and the guidance of his spiritual advisors sustained him as he faced the reality of his execution. In his final moments, as the State carried out its sentence, his priest stood beside him, laid hands on him, and prayed.
In this case, the death penalty is equivalent to closing the barn door after the horse has already left. Andrew spent decades in prison. He no longer posed a threat to anyone. Accountability had been achieved. The State of Florida had another option available to it. Instead, another tragedy has been added to a story that already contained far too much suffering.