A Florida execution of a man who killed a woman three decades ago. went as planned on a Tuesday evening A man convicted of raping and killing a woman in 1994 from a supermarket parking lot was executed on Tuesday. Anthony Wainwright, 54, was executed with a lethal injection for the murder of Carmen Gayheart, who was abducted, raped, and killed in Lake City, Florida. Gayheart was only 23 years old at the time of her abduction, rape, and murder. There have been more Florida executions in the state than last year.
Man Receives Lethal Injection in Florida Execution
The U.S. Supreme Court denied last-minute appeals to spare the convicted killer, and his execution was carried out on Tuesday evening. Tuesday’s Florida execution of Wainwright, 54, marked the sixth inmate to be put to death by lethal injection in the Sunshine State this year.
The killer’s attorneys argued that cognitive and behavioral issues should be a factor in the crime, along with his dad’s exposure to Agent Orange during the Vietnam War. The claims were rejected by both the Florida Supreme Court and the U.S. Supreme Court. They concluded that the claims made by Wainwright’s attorneys would not have altered his death sentence.
Wainwright’s shoulders shuddered a few times before being still at 6:14 p.m. Officially, the killer was pronounced dead at 6:22 p.m. per Byran Griffin, a spokesman for Gov. Ron DeSantis. Another Florida execution is planned for later this month. Six people were executed in the state in 2023, but only one Florida execution was carried out last year. In addition, there were four other executions scheduled around the country this week.
Wainwright did make his final statement before his execution, but the words were inaudible from the witness room. Richard Hamilton was also convicted of Gayherat’s murder and received a death sentence. However, he died on death row in 2023 at the age of 59. Before the execution, Gayheart’s sister said the three-decade wait for justice was too long.
Maria David said, “It’s ridiculous how many appeals they get. You have to relive it again because they have to tell the whole story again.” Days before Gayheart’s murder, Wainwright and Hamilton escaped a North Carolina prison. Hamilton took Gayheart at gunpoint and drove away. Wainwright followed them both in a Cadillac, which the men had stolen in North Carolina, according to court documents.
Gruesome Details of the Crime
The men also broke into a home that morning, stealing money and guns. They drove to Florida and attempted to steal another vehicle when the Cadillac began experiencing issues in Lake City. They confronted Gayheart as she put her groceries into her blue Ford Bronco. They forced Gayheart into the vehicle at gunpoint and drove away. The men brutally raped her in the backseat of the vehicle.
After raping her, Hamilton and Wainwright took Gayheart out of the vehicle and attempted to strangle the defenseless woman. She was then shot twice in the back of the head, and her body was dragged several yards from the road. The men drove off after dragging Gayheart’s body off the road. The next day, the killers were arrested after a shootout with police in Mississippi.
A year later, the jury convicted Wainwright of murder, robbery, kidnapping, and rape. The 1995 jury unanimously urged that he be sentenced to death. After the execution, David said, “It closes the legal chapter, that is all. I will carry this with me for the rest of my life. I will never get over what happened to Carmen.” David added that she “just kept thinking what he (Wainwright) did to my sister.”
Many friends and family were wearing “Justice For Carmen Gayheart” T-shirts. Gale Gayheart, Carmen’s mother-in-law, called Wainwright a “coward.” She also said, “he was finally brought to justice today.” David said that 17 members of Gayheart’s witnessed the Florida execution along with her. According to David, Carmen loved animals and was training to become a nurse rather than a veterinarian.
Final Thoughts
“Carmen was a devoted wife, mother, sister, daughter, friend,” David said. She also noted that it was Wainwright’s “choices that led us to this point today.” David kept a book throughout the years of every court filing from the initial indictment to the latest appeals of today. In getting the paperwork of the execution, David said, “I’m looking forward to getting the last pieces of paperwork that say he’s been executed to put into book and never having to think about Anthony Wainwright ever again.”
In other news, famous musician Sly Stone passed away at the age of 82. A woman also sued Costco for $14 million, claiming that a display cabinet knocked her down in 2023. She suffered a traumatic brain injury and other serious injuries.
