Florida man executed for killing his former manager at a convenience store

STARKE, Fla. - A man convicted of raping and fatally beating his former manager at a Florida convenience store in 1988 was put to death Thursday evening in the state’s record 17th execution this year.

Richard Barry Randolph, 63, was pronounced dead at 6:12 p.m. following a three-drug injection at Florida State Prison near Starke. 

Randolph was convicted of murder, armed robbery, sexual battery and grand theft and sentenced to death in 1989 for the killing of Minnie Ruth McCollum.

The backstory:

According to court records, Randolph attempted to break into the safe at the Handy-Way convenience store in Palatka, where he had previously worked, in August 1988. Randolph was spotted by the manager, Minnie Ruth McCollum, and the two began to struggle.

Randolph then beat, strangled, stabbed and raped McCollum before leaving the store and taking the woman’s car, the records show.

Three women witnessed Randolph leaving the store and called the sheriff’s office after seeing through the window that the store was in disarray. A deputy responded and found McCollum still alive. She was taken to a hospital in a coma and died six days later of severe brain injuries, according to doctors.

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Randolph was arrested shortly after the attack at a Jacksonville grocery store while trying to borrow money and cash in lottery tickets stolen from the convenience store, according to deputies. Investigators said Randolph admitted to the attack and directed them to bloody clothing that he had discarded.

Dig deeper:

The Florida Supreme Court denied Randolph’s appeals last week. He had argued that a lower court had abused its discretion in denying him access to public records and that his own defense lawyers had acted without his consent. A final appeal was still pending before the U.S. Supreme Court.

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By the numbers:

A total of 44 men have died by court-ordered execution so far this year in the U.S., and more than a dozen other people are scheduled to be put to death during the remainder of 2025 and next year.

Courtesy: Florida Department of Corrections

Since the U.S. Supreme Court restored the death penalty in 1976, the highest previous annual total of Florida executions was eight in 2014. Florida has executed more people than any other state this year, followed by Alabama, South Carolina and Texas with five each. Two more executions are planned for next month in Florida under death warrants signed by Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis.

What's next:

Mark Allen Geralds, 58, is scheduled for Florida’s 18th execution on Dec. 9. He was convicted of fatally stabbing a woman during a home invasion robbery.

Frank Athen Walls, 58, is set for Florida’s 19th execution on Dec. 18. He was convicted of fatally shooting a man and woman during a home invasion robbery, and he later confessed to three other killings.

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Florida’s lethal injections are carried out with a sedative, a paralytic and a drug that stops the heart, according to the state Department of Corrections.