Florida man who killed his girlfriend’s baby in 1996 was executed on Tuesday
Andrew Lukehart is scheduled to be executed on Tuesday for killing his girlfriend's daughter in 1996. Image is courtesy of the Florida Department of Corrections.
STARKE, Fla. - A Florida man who confessed to killing his girlfriend’s infant daughter and throwing her body in a pond three decades ago was executed Tuesday evening.
Andrew Richard Lukehart, 53, was pronounced dead at 6:19 p.m. after receiving a three-drug injection at Florida State Prison near Starke.
Florida death penalty execution
What we know:
Lukehart was convicted of first-degree murder and aggravated child abuse in 1997.
Court records show Lukehart was watching 5-month-old Gabrielle Hanshaw in February 1996 at a Jacksonville home while his girlfriend cared for another sick child.
Lukehart drove away, called his girlfriend to claim the baby was kidnapped, and was found later that night in a neighboring county after driving his car off the road.
The next day, Lukehart told investigators he panicked and threw Gabrielle into a pond after he dropped the baby on her head and shook her. Law enforcement officers later recovered the child's body from the water.
Supreme Court legal appeals
What we don't know:
Defense lawyers also claimed a one-month window between the death warrant signing and the execution date violated due process, though the Florida Supreme Court denied these appeals last week. The U.S. Supreme Court denied a final appeal Monday.
Single year execution records
By the numbers:
- 19: The record number of executions overseen by Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis in 2025.
- 8: The number of Florida executions carried out so far this year, tying a previous record set in 2014.
- 47: The total number of people executed across the United States in 2025, with Florida leading the nation.
- 5: The number of executions held in Alabama, South Carolina and Texas, which tied for second place behind Florida.
Upcoming state execution calendar
What's next:
Another Florida execution is scheduled for later this month. Dusty Ray Spencer, 74, faces execution after being convicted of fatally stabbing his wife in 1992.
The Source: The information in this story was gathered from Florida court records, which detailed the February 1996 investigation and Lukehart's subsequent confession to law enforcement, as well as capital punishment tracking data provided by the Florida Department of Corrections and the U.S. Supreme Court.