Florida Prepares to Execute Richard Randolph for Brutal 1988 Murder

Florida is set to execute 63-year-old Richard Barry Randolph on Thursday evening for the 1988 rape and murder of his former convenience-store manager, Minnie Ruth McCollum. Randolph was convicted of murder, armed robbery, sexual battery, and grand theft, and has remained on death row since 1989.

State officials say this will mark Florida’s 17th execution of 2025, the most in a single year in state history.

According to trial records, Randolph tried to break into the safe of the Handy-Way store in Palatka, where he had previously worked. When McCollum discovered him, a violent struggle ensued. Prosecutors say Randolph beat, strangled, stabbed, and sexually assaulted her before fleeing in her car.

Multiple witnesses saw him leaving the store and contacted police. A deputy arrived to find McCollum clinging to life; she died days later from severe brain trauma.

Randolph was arrested the same day at a Jacksonville grocery store, allegedly trying to cash stolen lottery tickets. Investigators say he confessed and led them to discarded bloody clothing.

His recent appeals — arguing improper denial of public records and that his attorneys acted without consent — were rejected by the Florida Supreme Court. The U.S. Supreme Court denied his final appeal Thursday morning.

This execution comes amid Florida’s unprecedented pace of death sentences under Gov. Ron DeSantis. Two more executions are scheduled for December, with the state far outpacing others in 2025.