Florida man who murdered his girlfriend and her 3 children "is sane and competent to be executed" this week, judge says
A circuit judge has ruled that condemned killer Jeffrey Hutchinson is "sane and competent to be executed" Thursday, prompting his attorneys to appeal to the Florida Supreme Court.
Bradford County Circuit Judge James Colaw issued a 20-page decision after holding a hearing Friday on Hutchinson's sanity after Gov. Ron DeSantis issued an order last week saying Hutchinson was mentally competent. DeSantis had earlier appointed a panel of psychiatrists to evaluate Hutchinson.
Colaw wrote that there is "no credible evidence that Mr. Hutchinson does not understand what is taking place and why it is taking place" and that he does not have any current mental illness.
DeSantis on March 31 signed a death warrant for Hutchinson, who was convicted of murdering his girlfriend, Renee Flaherty, and her children, Geoffrey, Amanda and Logan Flaherty, in 1998 in the Crestview home they shared.
Hutchinson was sentenced to death for the murders of the children and to life in prison for the murder of Renee Flaherty.
Hutchinson's attorneys have filed a series of court challenges to try to prevent the execution, focusing heavily on brain damage and cognitive impairment that Hutchinson suffered as a result of his service in the Army and the Gulf War. Last week, the Florida Supreme Court and a panel of the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals rejected challenges.
