On March 31, Governor DeSantis signed the fourth death warrant of 2025 and set an execution date for Jeffrey “Ranger” Hutchinson, a Gulf War veteran. He is scheduled to be executed on Thursday, May 1 at 6 pm for the September 11, 1998 murders of his girlfriend Renee Flaherty, and her three children: Logan, Amanda, and Geoffrey.
Jeffrey Hutchinson is a decorated Gulf War veteran. He was sickened in combat by repeated exposure to nerve gas and was turned away from treatment when he got home. More than 25 years ago, for acts committed while he was still suffering from that untreated illness and trauma, Jeff was sentenced to death. He fought for our country. Now, the State of Florida plans to kill him on May 1. Watch and share this video here.
Late on Sunday, April 27, after a nearly 10-hour evidentiary hearing on Friday, Judge Colaw found decorated Gulf War veteran Jeffrey Hutchinson competent to be executed. It is an astounding conclusion despite overwhelming evidence of Jeff’s decades-long documented severe delusional disorder. As Jeff’s lawyers note, the fight continues:
“Jeffrey Hutchinson, a Gulf War veteran, has a decades-long delusion that he is being executed to silence his efforts to expose government secrets. Two experts have concluded that he is not competent for execution. Based on these facts, we believe the court was wrong to find Mr. Hutchinson competent to be executed, but we are not surprised. These proceedings have been a far cry from a full and fair hearing as required by due process. We will continue to litigate the issue and seek a stay of Mr. Hutchinson’s execution.”
Time is running out. This is what we need you to do. Today.
If you are a veteran, or know someone who is, please sign and share our letter urging Governor DeSantis to STOP Jeff’s execution. We need as many veterans from around the world as possible to stand up against this injustice. As the letter aptly states:
Jeff came home injured by war. His mind was a casualty, just like any limb lost in combat. To execute him now is not justice. It is a failure of responsibility. It is the final abandonment of someone our country broke and then left behind. As veterans, we know what it means to serve, and we know what it means when no one comes for you after the fight. We cannot be silent.
Tell Governor DeSantis: do not execute a combat-injured veteran suffering from untreated mental illness. Send him a message now. Call his office at 850-717-9337 or 850-488-7146.
Sign and share our petition. Every signature will be sent to the Governor and the Executive Clemency Board on Thursday.
If Governor DeSantis or the courts won’t stop this execution, they must see and know that there is strong and steady opposition, especially from our veterans. As our Executive Director Maria DeLiberato said at the last execution, “If they are going to kill Jeff Hutchinson, they are going to do it front of a field full of soldiers.” Join us at Florida State Prison beginning at 5 pm on May 1, or join us online, or across the state for vigils and protests ahead of the scheduled execution.
The question isn’t whether Jeffrey Hutchinson deserves to die. The real question is: Do we, the people of the State of Florida, deserve to kill him?