Florida executed 63-year-old Richard Barry Randolph for the 1988 rape and killing of convenience store manager Minnie Ruth McCollum. He was pronounced dead at 6:12 p.m. after a three-drug lethal injection and issued no final statement. Randolph was convicted in 1989 of murder and related charges; the Florida Supreme Court recently denied his final appeal. His execution is the state’s 17th this year, with two more scheduled in December.
Florida Executes Richard Barry Randolph for 1988 Rape and Murder of Convenience Store Manager
Florida executed 63-year-old Richard Barry Randolph for the 1988 rape and killing of convenience store manager Minnie Ruth McCollum. He was pronounced dead at 6:12 p.m. after a three-drug lethal injection and issued no final statement. Randolph was convicted in 1989 of murder and related charges; the Florida Supreme Court recently denied his final appeal. His execution is the state’s 17th this year, with two more scheduled in December.
09:51 AM, 11/21/2025Society
Florida executes Richard Barry Randolph
Florida carried out the execution of 63-year-old Richard Barry Randolph on Thursday. He was pronounced dead at 6:12 p.m. at Florida State Prison near Starke after receiving a three-drug lethal injection. State officials reported the procedure proceeded without complications and said Randolph offered no final statement.
Conviction and details of the crime
Randolph was convicted in 1989 of murder, armed robbery, sexual battery and grand theft for the August 1988 attack on Minnie Ruth McCollum, a former manager of a convenience store in Palatka. Court records indicate Randolph attempted to break into a store safe; when McCollum confronted him the two struggled. Prosecutors say Randolph beat, strangled, stabbed and raped McCollum before fleeing the scene in her car. A deputy found McCollum alive and she was taken to a hospital, where she remained in a coma and died six days later from severe brain injuries.
Arrest and appeals
Randolph was arrested days later at a Jacksonville grocery store while attempting to borrow money and cash stolen lottery tickets. Investigators say he admitted to the assault and led authorities to bloodstained clothing. Last week, the Florida Supreme Court denied his final appeal; he had argued the lower court improperly denied access to public records and that his attorneys acted without his consent.
Final day and broader context
Officials said Randolph woke early, ate a meal that included a cheeseburger, fries and ice cream, and received one visitor; he did not meet with a spiritual advisor. Three members of the victim's family were expected to attend the execution. Randolph’s death brings Florida’s total executions this year to 17, setting a new single-year state record. Two additional executions are scheduled in December: Mark Allen Geralds on Dec. 9 and Frank Athen Walls on Dec. 18.
Method
The Florida Department of Corrections says its lethal injection protocol uses a sedative, a paralytic and a drug that stops the heart.