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A Florida man convicted of killing a 16-year-old girl after she rejected his romantic advances and injuring two of her friends was executed Tuesday evening.
Harold Gene Lucas, 74, was put to death by lethal injection at Florida State Prison and pronounced dead at 6:18 p.m. local time. Lucas waived all appeals and post-conviction proceedings following the issuance of his death warrant, choosing not to seek review from either the Florida Supreme Court or the U.S. Supreme Court.
“I’ve been on death row for 50 years, and I have no desire to carry this any further,” Lucas told a judge after the warrant was issued, according to court transcripts. “The sooner it’s over, the better I’ll enjoy it. I am tired.”
Lucas was the 14th person executed in Florida this year. Governor Ron DeSantis has already signed death warrants for two additional executions scheduled later this month.
Lucas’s case dates back to 1976, when he was convicted of first-degree murder and two counts of attempted first-degree murder for the fatal shooting of Jill Piper and the wounding of her friends, Richard Byrd Jr. and Terri Rice. At the time, Lucas was 24 years old and had a prior history with Piper, having known her for years and previously worked for her family. The two had a past romantic relationship, and Lucas reportedly told a friend he intended to marry her.
After being arrested for trespassing at Piper’s home, Lucas had further confrontations with her, during which he allegedly threatened her life. On the night of the attack, Piper asked her friends to stay with her for protection. Despite this, Lucas showed up at her house armed with a rifle, fatally shooting Piper multiple times and injuring her two friends before being apprehended the following day.
The United States has experienced a notable increase in executions in 2025, with Florida leading the nation. The state has carried out 19 executions this year, setting a new record since the death penalty was reinstated in 1976. Nationally, there have been 23 executions so far in 2025, with over half occurring in Florida.