Richard Barry Randolph, 63, was executed by the state of Florida Thursday evening, marking the state’s seventeenth execution of the year – a grim record shattering previous totals.
The execution took place at Florida State Prison near Starke, following a three-drug injection. Randolph had been convicted in 1989 of the brutal murder, armed robbery, sexual battery, and grand theft of Minnie Ruth McCollum, his former manager at a Palatka convenience store.
As the scheduled hour arrived, the execution chamber’s curtain rose. Authorities initiated the drug administration two minutes later, after Randolph offered no final statement. His eyes remained closed throughout the process.
Witnesses observed slight twitches and labored breathing as the drugs took effect. Color drained from Randolph’s face, and he eventually lay still. A warden repeatedly called his name, receiving no response, prompting a medic to pronounce him dead at 6:11 p.m.
The crime itself was a horrifying act of violence. Randolph attempted to rob the convenience store in August 1988, and was discovered by McCollum. A struggle ensued, escalating into a savage attack.
He beat, strangled, stabbed, and sexually assaulted McCollum before fleeing with her car. The scene inside the store was one of utter chaos, witnessed by three women who immediately alerted authorities.
A responding deputy found McCollum clinging to life, and she was rushed to a hospital in a coma. Despite medical intervention, she succumbed to severe brain injuries six days later.
Randolph’s capture came swiftly. He was apprehended at a Jacksonville grocery store, attempting to cash stolen lottery tickets and borrow money. He reportedly confessed to the attack, leading investigators to discarded, bloodstained clothing.
Last-minute appeals to both the Florida Supreme Court and the U.S. Supreme Court proved unsuccessful. Randolph argued issues with access to public records and claimed his own counsel had acted without his consent, but the courts upheld his conviction.
This execution pushes the nation’s total for 2024 to 44, with Florida leading the way in carrying out capital punishment. Alabama, South Carolina, and Texas follow with five executions each.
Two more executions are already scheduled in Florida before the year’s end. Mark Allen Geralds is slated for execution on December 9th, convicted of a fatal stabbing during a home invasion. Frank Athen Walls faces execution on December 18th, convicted of a double homicide and later confessing to three additional killings.
Florida’s lethal injection protocol involves a combination of a sedative, a paralytic agent, and a drug to stop the heart, administered by the state Department of Corrections.
