'I Just Shot My Family': Gulf War Vet Faces Execution

A Gulf War veteran who maintains his innocence faces execution Thursday in Florida for the 1998 killings of his girlfriend and her three children. Details:

• The state is scheduled to execute Jeffrey Hutchinson, 62, convicted of fatally shooting girlfriend Renee Flaherty, 32, and her three children, ages 4 through 9, nearly three decades ago in Crestview. "I just shot my family," he told a police dispatcher at the time, reports USA Today.
• Unless he gets a last-minute reprieve, Hutchinson will die by lethal injection in a procedure beginning at 6pm at Florida State Prison near Starke, per Fox News.

• Despite his admission to the police dispatcher, Hutchinson has since maintained his innocence, claiming two assailants committed the murders as part of a US government conspiracy, per the AP. He alleges the government targeted him for his activism regarding Gulf War illnesses and other veterans issues. Hutchinson served eight years in the Army, including time as an elite Ranger.
• Hutchinson's lawyers say he should be spared because he suffers from Gulf War Illness (GWI), post-traumatic stress disorder, and paranoia, all stemming from his military service overseas. The Department of Veterans Affairs describes GWI as "a prominent condition affecting Gulf War Veterans," with symptoms including fatigue, headaches, joint pain, memory impairment, and more. According to a 2020 Department of Defense report cited by the VA, GWI affects between 175,000 and 250,000 of the nearly 700,000 troops who served in the Gulf War from 1990 to 1991.
• This would be the fourth execution in Florida this year and the 15th in the US. A fifth Florida execution is scheduled for May 15 for convicted killer Glen Rogers.

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