Andrew Richard Lukehart, 53, was executed by the state of Florida on June 2, 2026, for the 1996 murder of his girlfriend’s 5‑month‑old daughter, Gabrielle Hanshaw, concluding a decades‑long legal process after his conviction for first‑degree murder and aggravated child abuse. Lukehart’s case drew national attention for its severity and the subsequent efforts by Florida authorities to uphold the death sentence amid multiple appeals and legal challenges.
According to court records, the crime occurred on February 25, 1996, in Duval County, when Lukehart was caring for Gabrielle while her mother tended to her sick sibling. Investigators later established that Lukehart struck the infant multiple times in the head, causing fatal skull fractures. Afterward, he placed her body in a nearby pond and initially misled police and family by claiming the baby had been abducted. Authorities later located the child’s remains with Lukehart’s guidance.
Lukehart testified during his 1997 trial that Gabrielle would not stay still during a diaper change, and he “forcefully and repeatedly pushed her head and neck to the floor,” resulting in her death. He also offered conflicting statements about how the incident unfolded before eventually admitting to killing the infant. A jury found him guilty, and a majority recommended the death penalty.
Over the following years, Lukehart’s legal team filed numerous appeals, including challenges to Florida’s lethal injection protocols and the speed at which his execution window was set. The Florida Supreme Court denied his appeals in late May, clearing the way for the execution, and the U.S. Supreme Court declined to intervene.
On the evening of his execution at Florida State Prison in Starke, Lukehart declined a last meal and had no visitors, though he met with a spiritual advisor before the procedure. As the execution began, he recited a brief apology and a Bible verse, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do,” before losing consciousness. A priest was present and prayed as lethal injection drugs were administered.
Florida officials noted that Lukehart’s execution was the eighth carried out in the state in 2026, continuing a period of increased use of capital punishment under Governor Ron DeSantis. The state’s aggressive execution schedule follows a record number of executions in 2025.
The case remains a somber example of violence against a vulnerable child and the extended judicial process involved in applying the death penalty for especially heinous crimes. Gabrielle’s family and community members have long awaited the final resolution of a case that began with unspeakable tragedy and spanned more than three decades of legal proceedings.
