Florida Executes Seventh Inmate in 2023 Capital Punishment Surge

Thomas Lee Gudinas was executed by lethal injection at Florida State Prison for the 1994 rape and murder of Michelle McGrath in Orlando, becoming the seventh inmate executed in Florida in 2025. The Supreme Court denied a final appeal challenging Governor Ron DeSantis' authority over execution timing, and Gudinas' lawyers had also argued for clemency based on his severe mental illness, but the courts rejected these claims. Gudinas made an inaudible final statement referencing Jesus before his execution, which was witnessed by 19 people including reporters and officials. Florida leads the nation in executions this year, contributing to 24 total executions in the U.S., making 2025 the most active year since 2015, with other states such as Texas and South Carolina following. Despite the increased pace, Florida Department of Corrections officials report no significant operational difficulties in carrying out the executions. McGrath had been sexually assaulted and fatally beaten after leaving a downtown bar, and the brutal nature of the crime was a major factor in Gudinas' sentencing.