STARKE, Fla. (AP) — A man convicted of raping and fatal beating his manager at a Florida convenience store in 1988 was put to death Thursday evening in the state’s record 17th execution this year.
Richard Barry Randolph, 63, was pronounced dead at 6:12 p.m. following a three-drug injection at Florida State Prison near Starke. Randolph was convicted of murder, armed robbery, sexual battery and grand theft and sentenced to death in 1989 for the killing of Minnie Ruth McCollum.
The curtain to the death chamber went up exactly at 6:00 p.m., the scheduled execution time, and authorities began administering the drugs two minutes later after Randolph had no last words…