A man who was found guilty of the rape and murder of his former manager at a convenience store in Florida back in 1988 was executed on Thursday, marking the 17th execution in the state this year.
Richard Barry Randolph, aged 63, was convicted of the brutal crimes against Minnie Ruth McCollum, the convenience store manager, in a horrific incident that occurred over three decades ago. Court documents revealed that Randolph, then 27 years old, was trying to break into the store’s safe at the Handy Way Convenience Store when McCollum, aged 62, unexpectedly walked in on him.
Following his conviction in 1989 for murder, armed robbery, sexual battery, and grand theft, Randolph was sentenced to death. After 37 years, the state of Florida carried out his execution by lethal injection. The procedure took place without any complications, and Randolph passed away at 6:12 p.m. without making a final statement, as confirmed by DeSantis spokesman Alex Lanfranconi.
According to court records, Randolph’s criminal activities in August 1988 involved an attempt to break into the safe at a Palatka convenience store where he had previously worked. The situation escalated when McCollum caught him in the act, leading to a violent confrontation between the two.
Randolph proceeded to assault, strangle, stab, and sexually assault McCollum before fleeing the scene in her car. Witnesses later alerted the authorities after noticing the chaotic state of the store, which led to the discovery of McCollum in critical condition. Despite being rushed to the hospital in a coma, she succumbed to severe brain injuries six days later.
Shortly after the heinous act, Randolph was apprehended at a Jacksonville grocery store while attempting to sell lottery tickets stolen from the convenience store and borrow money. Police reported that Randolph confessed to the crimes and directed them to the location where he had discarded incriminating evidence, including bloody clothing.
Despite multiple appeals, including claims of denial of access to public records and unauthorized actions by his legal representatives, Randolph’s efforts to overturn his sentence were unsuccessful. The U.S. Supreme Court rejected his final appeal on Thursday morning, paving the way for his execution.
At Reach and across our entities we and our partners use information collected through cookies and other identifiers from your device to improve experience on our site, analyse how it is used and to show personalised advertising. You can opt out of the sale or sharing of your data, at any time clicking the “Do Not Sell or Share my Data” button at the bottom of the webpage. Please note that your preferences are browser specific. Use of our website and any of our services represents your acceptance of the use of cookies and consent to the practices described in our Privacy Notice and Terms and Conditions.