Stop the Execution of Andrew Lukehart in Florida
Florida Board of Executive Clemency and Governor Ron DeSantis
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Andrew Lukehart is scheduled for execution in Florida on June 2, 2026, for the 1997 murder of Gabrielle Hanshaw.
Andrew Lukehart Never Received the Help He Needed. Florida Plans to Execute Him Anyway.
Andrew Lukehart is scheduled to be executed by the State of Florida on Tuesday, June 2, 2026, at 6 pm for the 1996 death of Gabrielle Hanshaw. Gabrielle’s death was a devastating tragedy, and nothing in Andrew’s background diminishes the gravity of that loss or the pain experienced by those who loved her.
But Andrew’s execution is yet another example of an unconstitutional execution in Florida. Despite a nonunanimous jury vote, a severe medical condition that could make his death torturous, and an expedited death warrant process that deprives defendants of their due process, he will be executed unless a court or Gov. Ron DeSantis intervenes. Andrew’s legal claims focus on 3 key themes:
#1 - Andrew’s Traumatic Life History Led Three Jurors to Vote for Life
Andrew Lukehart’s case is one of profound untreated trauma, severe childhood abuse, neurological impairment, and lifelong mental health struggles. Experts testified that he grew up in an alcoholic and violent home, endured repeated sexual abuse as a child, suffered from PTSD, and functioned with borderline intellectual ability. Rather than receiving meaningful treatment, Andrew cycled through dysfunction, instability, and psychological deterioration until tragedy occurred. His actions, while horrible and deserving of consequence, were not the result of a cold, calculated, and premeditated action. Rather, as one of the expert witnesses from his sentencing concluded, they were the logical escalation involving a psychologically damaged young man with almost no coping mechanisms.
After hearing evidence of this during his sentencing, 3 of Andy’s jurors agreed that he should not be sentenced to death. However, because of Florida’s somewhat unique sentencing laws, his judge was permitted to impose the death penalty despite this nonunanimous vote. This sentencing scheme has been ruled unconstitutional twice before, yet Florida lawmakers have reinstated it each time in hopes that the courts will change how they reinterpret core aspects of the criminal-legal system. In every other state in the nation, Andrew would be serving a sentence of life without parole.
#2 - Andy’s Chronic Kidney Disease Increases the Risk of a Torturous Execution in Violation of the 8th Amendment
#3 - Florida’s Unnecessarily Accelerated Warrant Process Undermines Due Process
Read more from our partners at Floridians for Alternatives to the Death Penalty.
This petition will be updated when additional details become available.
Join the Virtual Sit In
Call Gov. DeSantis at 850-717-9337 with the following message:
"Hi. My name is [your name]. I am calling to urge Gov. DeSantis to reverse course and halt all plans to execute Andrew Lukehart on June 2, 2026. His chronic kidney disease may make his execution torturous, and he has been denied due process with the accelerated warrant process. As someone who purports to follow Christian teachings, it is deeply disappointing that he does not extend these teachings to the individual condemned to death in the state of Florida. Please do not move forward with the execution of Andrew Lukehart."
REGISTER FOR THE 6/2 VIRTUAL VIGIL BEGINNING AT 5PM ET.
This is the ninth death warrant of 2026, following an unprecedented execution pace in 2025. Florida led the nation in executions in 2025 by setting its own record for executions with Governor DeSantis signing 19 death warrants last year. Let's make sure Florida does not repeat this record in 2026.
While most states have moved away from the death penalty, Florida is accelerating executions at an alarming rate. Each warrant signed underscores the state’s embrace of a punishment that is arbitrary, racially biased, and out of step with evolving standards of decency.
Please sign the petition asking Governor Ron DeSantis and the Florida State Board of Executive Clemency to do everything within their power to stop this execution, including issuing a stay, and seeking a path to clemency in the case.
Sponsored by
To:
Florida Board of Executive Clemency and Governor Ron DeSantis
From:
[Your Name]
We are writing to you regarding Andrew Lukehart, who is scheduled for execution in Florida on June 2, 2026, for the 1997 murder of Gabrielle Hanshaw. There are three primary areas of deep concern.
#1 - Andrew’s Traumatic Life History Led Three Jurors to Vote for Life
Andrew Lukehart’s case is one of profound untreated trauma, severe childhood abuse, neurological impairment, and lifelong mental health struggles. Experts testified that he grew up in an alcoholic and violent home, endured repeated sexual abuse as a child, suffered from PTSD, and functioned with borderline intellectual ability. Rather than receiving meaningful treatment, Andrew cycled through dysfunction, instability, and psychological deterioration until tragedy occurred. His actions, while horrible and deserving of consequence, were not the result of a cold, calculated, and premeditated action. Rather, as one of the expert witnesses from his sentencing concluded, they were the logical escalation involving a psychologically damaged young man with almost no coping mechanisms.
After hearing evidence of this during his sentencing, 3 of Andy’s jurors agreed that he should not be sentenced to death. However, because of Florida’s somewhat unique sentencing laws, his judge was permitted to impose the death penalty despite this nonunanimous vote. This sentencing scheme has been ruled unconstitutional twice before, yet Florida lawmakers have reinstated it each time in hopes that the courts will change how they reinterpret core aspects of the criminal-legal system. In every other state in the nation, Andrew would be serving a sentence of life without parole.
#2 - Andy’s Chronic Kidney Disease Increases the Risk of a Torturous Execution in Violation of the 8th Amendment
#3 - Florida’s Unnecessarily Accelerated Warrant Process Undermines Due Process
We believe in accountability and have sympathy for the victim's family members, friends, and community. Their loss is tragic and unimaginable. But true justice and accountability do not require execution. A sentence of life without the possibility of parole protects society while also recognizing the human capacity for redemption and the role of childhood trauma in shaping adult behavior.
Florida’s record-breaking pace of executions is a moral and constitutional crisis. Each new warrant signed undercuts the rule of law, retraumatizes families, and moves us further from true justice.
We are concerned that while the vast majority of states with capital punishment continue on a downward trend of executions, Florida is going against this trend by resuming and increasing the frequency of executions - exceeding previous state records.
We, the undersigned, ask that you do everything within your power to stop this execution, including issuing a stay, and seeking a path to clemency in the case. By commuting his sentence to life in prison without the possibility of parole, you will send a message that the State of Florida does not need the death penalty to be safer, and that it only serves to perpetuate the cycle of violence.
Thank you for your time and attention to this serious matter.