Florida executes Thomas Lee Gudinas for raping and killing woman outside bar

On June 24, 2025, Thomas Lee Gudinas, a 51-year-old man, was executed by lethal injection at Florida State Prison after being convicted of the 1994 rape and murder of Michelle McGrath. Gudinas' execution marked the seventh carried out in Florida this year, highlighting the state's current pace in capital punishment. Prior to his execution, Gudinas had spent decades on death row, the appeals for which were exhausted just hours before the execution was scheduled. His case garnered attention as his legal team argued that he suffered from lifelong mental illnesses, which they believed should exempt him from the death penalty. Michelle McGrath was last seen alive leaving Barbarella's, a bar in Orlando, Florida, in the early hours of May 24, 1994. Her body was discovered later that day in an alley near a school, bearing evidence of severe trauma and sexual assault. Witnesses testified that Gudinas had been at the bar the night before and was seen fleeing from the area shortly before McGrath's body was discovered. This, along with a separate incident where another woman identified Gudinas for threatening her, led to his conviction. In 1995, Gudinas was sentenced to death for his actions. His legal team filed multiple appeals over the years, including claims that his mental state should exempt him from execution. However, the Florida Supreme Court recently denied these appeals, ruling that the protections against execution for individuals with intellectual disabilities do not extend to those suffering from other forms of mental illness or brain damage. The court emphasized the stringent criteria governing executions, which remain contentious in legal and ethical discussions regarding capital punishment. Gudinas' execution came amid a broader trend of rising executions in Florida and across the United States. While only one execution was carried out in Florida the previous year, 2023 saw six, and with Gudinas' execution, 2025 is already shaping up to be one of the most active years for capital punishment in recent history. Lawyers for Gudinas also argued that Florida's system, which gives the governor the sole authority to sign death warrants, may violate due process rights and create an arbitrary execution process. The U.S. Supreme Court has yet to rule on the matters related to due process in death penalty cases, leaving a cloud of uncertainty over similar appeals in the future.