A man who was found guilty of raping and murdering his manager at a convenience store in Florida in 1988 was executed on Thursday evening, marking the 17th execution in the state this year.
Richard Barry Randolph, aged 63, was convicted of the brutal murder and rape of Minnie Ruth McCollum, the convenience store manager, during a robbery attempt at the Handy Way Convenience Store where he used to work. Randolph committed the crime when McCollum caught him trying to break into the store’s safe.
In 1989, Randolph was sentenced to death after being found guilty of murder, armed robbery, sexual assault, and grand theft. After 37 years, he was executed by lethal injection by the Florida Department of Corrections, with no complications reported during the procedure.
Court records revealed that Randolph had attempted to rob the convenience store in Palatka in August 1988. He was confronted by McCollum, leading to a violent altercation where he beat, strangled, stabbed, and raped her before fleeing the scene in her car.
Randolph was apprehended shortly after the incident at a grocery store in Jacksonville while trying to exchange stolen lottery tickets for money. Police found bloody clothing that he had discarded, and Randolph confessed to the attack.
Despite several appeals, including arguments about denial of access to public records and lack of consent from his lawyers, Randolph’s appeals were denied by both the Florida Supreme Court and the U.S. Supreme Court.
The execution of Randolph serves as a conclusion to the tragic events that unfolded in 1988, bringing a sense of justice for the victim and closure to the case.