A man who was convicted of sexually assaulting and killing his manager at a Florida convenience store in 1988 was executed on Thursday, marking the 17th execution in the state this year.
Richard Barry Randolph, 63, was found guilty of the brutal murder and rape of Minnie Ruth McCollum, the convenience store manager. The incident occurred when McCollum caught Randolph attempting to break into the store’s safe at the Handy Way Convenience Store, where he used to work.
Randolph was convicted of murder, armed robbery, sexual battery, and grand theft in 1989. Thirty-seven years later, he was executed by lethal injection by the Florida Department of Corrections. The execution proceeded smoothly, and Randolph did not make any final statements before his death.
In August 1988, court records show that Randolph tried to break into the store’s safe in Palatka, where he was recognized by McCollum. A struggle ensued, leading Randolph to assault, strangle, stab, and rape McCollum before fleeing the scene in her car.
After witnessing Randolph leaving the store, three women alerted the police, who found McCollum barely alive. She was hospitalized in a coma and succumbed to severe brain injuries six days later.
Randolph was apprehended shortly after at a Jacksonville grocery store while attempting to borrow money and cash in stolen lottery tickets. Police reported that Randolph confessed to the crime and disclosed the location of the bloody clothing he had discarded.
Despite multiple appeals, Randolph’s requests were denied by both the Florida Supreme Court and the U.S. Supreme Court. He had claimed that his access to public records was unfairly restricted and that his lawyers had not acted with his consent.
