Thomas Gudinas Executed 6/24/2025
Tonight, the State of Florida executed Thomas Gudinas, carrying out his sentence of death. It was the seventh execution in the State in 2025—the highest number since 2014.
Tonight, the State of Florida executed Thomas Gudinas, carrying out his sentence of death for murdering Michelle McGrath in 1994. It was the seventh execution in the State in 2025—the highest number since 2014 when the State completed eight executions.1 Gudinas was 51 years old.
Denial of Final Claims
As of this morning, Gudinas had a petition for writ of certiorari pending at the U.S. Supreme Court. (Read more about Gudinas’s petition here.) Around 1:00 this afternoon, the Court denied the petition and Gudinas’s application for stay of execution. There were no dissents.
Information About the Execution
At the 3:30 press conference, DOC spokesperson Ted Veerman reported that Gudinas woke up at 4:45 a.m. His last meal was a pepperoni pizza, fries, and a soda. He had one visitor today—his mother.
When asked about how the DOC staff is handling the pace of executions, Veerman said the “professional” staff is doing a “fantastic job”:
Audio provided by John Koch.
The time of death was 6:13 p.m. Following the execution, DOC reported the execution took place “without incident.”
According to a report from The Guardian:
When the curtain to the execution room opened at 6.00pm, Gudinas was already strapped to a gurney with an IV in his left arm. Then, after the warden got off the phone with the governor’s office, he asked Gudinas whether he wanted to make a last statement. Although Gudinas’s words were inaudible to those in the viewing room, [a spokesperson for Gov. DeSantis] said he repented and made a reference to Jesus.
FADP Statement
Floridians for Alternatives to the Death Penalty issued a statement about the execution that said in part:
Tommy was just 20 years old when he was arrested for the murder of Ms. McGrath. Tommy was born to a teenage mother and spent the first two weeks of his life in the hospital, struggling to grow and develop, returning 6 times in the first 6 months of his life when he’d stop breathing.
And on top of his medical issues, there was the chronic abuse — Tommy was subjected to a childhood full of cruel and humiliating punishments at the hands of his father — who burned Tommy’s hand over an open flame and made Tommy stand outside wearing a sign saying he wet his bed. By the time his childhood was over, Tommy would have only a 4th grade education and been shuffled through 105 separate placements through the Division of Youth Services. 105 different places to lay his head at night.
News Articles
TFDP Prior Coverage of the Gudinas Warrant
2025 Executions
Below is a map of where the crimes occurred that led to the 2025 executions. The relevant county is also where the execution-related litigation is venued in each case.
My thoughts are with everyone involved in the warrant- and execution-related process.