Andrew Richard Lukehart was put to death Tuesday evening at Florida State Prison in Starke for the killing of his girlfriend’s infant daughter.
The 53-year-old was scheduled for execution by lethal injection at 6 p.m. Lukehart was sentenced to death in 1997 for the 1996 first-degree murder and aggravated child abuse of 5-month-old Gabrielle Hanshaw. His execution marks the eighth in Florida this year, following 19 executions in 2025.
Court documents show that in February 1996, Lukehart was babysitting Gabrielle in Jacksonville while his girlfriend cared for her other daughter, who was sick. The mother reported that Lukehart drove away from the home and the baby disappeared. Lukehart later called the mother, claiming the infant had been kidnapped and that he was pursuing the abductor. Police eventually found Lukehart in a neighboring county after he crashed his car…