Gulf War veteran convicted of killing girlfriend, her 3 kids scheduled for execution

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — A Gulf War Army veteran convicted of the shotgun slayings of his girlfriend and her three children has been scheduled for execution in Florida on May 1.

Jeffrey G. Hutchinson, 62, is scheduled to die at the Florida State Prison by lethal injection. Gov. Ron DeSantis signed a death warrant for Hutchinson on Monday -- the fourth he has signed this year.

Hutchinson was convicted in February 2001 of killing his girlfriend, Renee Flaherty, 32, and her three children -- Geoffrey, 9; Amanda, 7; and Logan, 4 -- with a shotgun on Sept. 11, 1998 in the Panhandle city of Crestview.

According to court records, Hutchinson argued with Flaherty and left to go to a bar. A bartender said he heard Hutchinson make remarks about his argument before the man left abruptly.

About 40 minutes later, there was a 911 call from Hutchinson’s home. A man, later identified as Hutchison, told the dispatcher, “I just shot my family.”

Hutchinson was found sitting in the garage with a phone in his hand, still connected to the 911 operator, court records show. The murder weapon, a 12-gauge Mossberg shotgun, was found on a kitchen counter and Hutchinson allegedly had gunshot residue on his hands.

Hutchinson has been on death row in Florida since Feb. 7, 2001, according to Florida Department of Corrections records.

Since then, the Florida Supreme Court rejected Hutchinson’s appeals after his attorneys claimed new evidence had surfaced.

After his sentencing, Hutchinson said in court that he did not kill anyone.

“I did not kill Renee and the kids and I believe I was framed,” he said.

The judge’s sentencing order noted that Hutchinson served eight years in the Army, including a stint in the Gulf War, and that he had been diagnosed with Gulf War Illness, which produces a range of problems including pain, memory loss and insomnia.

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