Murder of Carmen Gayheart
Carmen Gayheart | |
|---|---|
| Born | Carmen Gabriella Tortora September 2, 1970 Fort Lauderdale, Florida, U.S. |
| Died | April 27, 1994 (aged 23) Hamilton County, Florida, U.S. |
| Cause of death | Murdered by shooting |
| Resting place | Forest Lawn Memorial Gardens |
| Education | Lake City Community College |
| Known for | Victim of a kidnapping, rape, and murder case |
On April 27, 1994, 23-year-old Carmen Gayheart (September 2, 1970 – April 27, 1994), a mother of two and nursing student enrolled at Lake City Community College, was kidnapped in Lake City, Florida, United States, and was then raped and murdered in nearby Hamilton County, Florida by two men who escaped from a North Carolina prison days before the murder. The killers, Anthony Floyd Wainwright (born October 22, 1970)[1] and Richard Eugene Hamilton (February 16, 1963 – January 13, 2023),[2] were both put on trial, found guilty of first-degree murder and sentenced to death. However, before his execution could take place, Hamilton died on death row in January 2023, while Wainwright is scheduled to be executed on June 10, 2025.[3]
Murder
[edit]On April 27, 1994, a nursing student was reported missing after she was last seen at a Florida parking lot, and was found murdered days later.
On that fateful day, 23-year-old Carmen Gayheart, a mother of two children who attended nursing classes at a community college in Lake City, Florida, was supposed to fetch her children from their daycare center after completing her lessons for the day. However, she failed to show up, and as a result, after a fruitless search by her husband, classmates and father, she was reported missing.[4] In reality, before her disappearance, Gayheart encountered two men while she was loading her groceries in her car at a grocery store parking lot, and the two men, 23-year-old Anthony Floyd Wainwright and 31-year-old Richard Eugene Hamilton, abducted her and even stole her car, driving it to another place.[5]
Just two days prior to kidnapping Gayheart, both Hamilton and Wainwright escaped from a minimum-security prison in Carteret County, North Carolina, where Wainwright was serving ten years' jail for burglary while Hamilton himself was serving 25 years for armed robbery.[6][7] The pair additionally stole a vehicle and burglarized a home, where they took two rifles before they fled to Florida, where they eventually abducted and later killed Gayheart.[8]
After they abducted Gayheart, Hamilton and Wainwright abandoned their getaway vehicle and drove in Gayheart's car with their hostage. The men would reach a remote location, where they raped Gayheart and strangled her, before they finally shot her twice in the head, therefore murdering the 23-year-old victim on the spot.[9][5][10]
A day after the murder of Gayheart, near Brookhaven, Mississippi, both Wainwright and Hamilton engaged in a gunfight with police and were arrested for their involvement in the disappearance and death of Gayheart, and her car was recovered by the police, although her body was still missing.[11][12]
On May 2, 1994, the decomposed remains of Gayheart were discovered in Hamilton County, and it was passed to a medical examiner in Jacksonville for positive identification and to analyze the cause of death.[13][14]
Trial proceedings
[edit]Anthony Floyd Wainwright | |
|---|---|
 Mug shot of Wainwright | |
| Born | October 22, 1970 North Carolina, U.S. |
| Convictions | First-degree murder Kidnapping Robbery Sexual battery |
| Criminal penalty | Death penalty, plus three consecutive life sentences |
| Details | |
| Victims | Carmen Gayheart, 23 |
| Date | April 27, 1994 |
| Country | United States |
| State | Lake City, Florida |
| Imprisoned at | Florida State Prison (death row) |
Richard Eugene Hamilton | |
|---|---|
 Mug shot of Hamilton | |
| Born | February 16, 1963 North Carolina, U.S. |
| Died | January 13, 2023 (aged 59) |
| Cause of death | Unknown, presumed natural causes |
| Criminal status | Died on death row in 2023 |
| Convictions | First-degree murder Kidnapping Robbery Sexual battery |
| Criminal penalty | Death penalty, plus three consecutive life sentences |
| Details | |
| Victims | Carmen Gayheart, 23 |
| Date | April 27, 1994 |
| Country | United States |
| State | Lake City, Florida |
| Imprisoned at | Union Correctional Institution (death row) |
After their arrests, both Richard Hamilton and Anthony Wainwright were charged with first-degree murder, sexual battery, robbery, and kidnapping. The duo were indicted by a grand jury in July 1994, and the prosecution also expressed their intent to seek the death penalty for both men.[15] The surviving family members of Gayheart expressed that they wanted both Wainwright and Hamilton to be executed for the rape and murder of Gayheart.[16]
Throughout their pre-trial detention, both Hamilton and Wainwright had repeatedly expressed their intention to escape from the Clay County Jail, and there were also alleged plans to orchestrate the escape attempt and kill a prison officer in the process, and the duo were detained in maximum-security areas of the prison due to the risk.[17] Not only that, for their court appearances, stun belts were installed on both Wainwright and Hamilton to constantly activate them to keep them under control.[18][19]
The trial and sentencing of both Wainwright and Hamilton were held before separate juries in May 1995,[20][21] and on May 30, 1995, both juries found the two men guilty of kidnapping, raping and murdering Gayheart.[22] On June 1, 1995, both juries recommended that both Wainwright and Hamilton should be sentenced to death for the most serious charge of first-degree murder.[23][24] Based on court sources, the jury in Wainwright's case handed an unanimous vote for capital punishment, while the jury in Hamilton's case issued a majority vote of 10–2.[10][5]
On June 12, 1995, both 24-year-old Anthony Wainwright and 32-year-old Richard Hamilton were formally sentenced to death via the electric chair by Circuit Judge Vernon Douglas.[25][26] Apart from the death sentences, the judge also imposed three consecutive life sentences to each of the two men for the other offences committed against Gayheart. The judge labelled the murder of Gayheart as "pitiless and unnecessarily torturous" and also "wicked, evil and vile", and the actions of both men were "conscienceless" and "pitiless".[27][28]
Appellate process
[edit]Hamilton
[edit]On October 23, 1997, Richard Hamilton's direct appeal against his death sentence and murder conviction was dismissed by the Florida Supreme Court.[10][29][30]
On June 3, 2004, Hamilton's second appeal was rejected by the Florida Supreme Court.[31]
On March 3, 2017, the Florida Supreme Court rejected Hamilton's petition for writ of habeas corpus.[32]
On February 8, 2018, the Florida Supreme Court denied Hamilton's post-conviction appeal and affirmed his death sentence.[33]
Wainwright
[edit]On November 13, 1997, the Florida Supreme Court dismissed Anthony Wainwright's direct appeal.[5]
On November 24, 2004, a second appeal from Wainwright was turned down by the Florida Supreme Court.[34][35][36] Wainwright was one of the four death row inmates (also including Loran Kenstley Cole) to lose their appeals to the Florida Supreme Court on the same date itself.[37]
On November 13, 2007, Wainwright's appeal was rejected by the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.[38]
On November 26, 2008, Wainwright's third appeal to the Florida Supreme Court was denied.[39]
In July 2023, the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals dismissed Wainwright's appeal, and also rejected Wainwright's submission of new DNA evidence on the basis that they were insufficient to rebut the findings of the trial DNA experts and demonstrate his alleged innocence.[40][41]
On April 15, 2024, the U.S. Supreme Court dismissed Wainwright's final appeal against his death sentence.[42]
Hamilton's death
[edit]On January 13, 2023, Richard Hamilton died at the age of 59 in the Union Correctional Institution, after spending about 28 years on death row, but the cause of Hamilton's death was not made public. The death of Hamilton left Wainwright as the sole perpetrator left on death row awaiting execution for the rape-murder of Carmen Gayheart.[43]
Scheduled execution of Wainwright
[edit]On May 10, 2025, Florida governor Ron DeSantis signed a death warrant for Anthony Wainwright, scheduling his execution date as June 10, 2025.[44][45]
The execution of Wainwright was the sixth to be scheduled in Florida during the year of 2025, and another condemned inmate, serial killer Glen Edward Rogers, was put to death by lethal injection on May 15, 2025, five days after the approval of Wainwright's death warrant.[46][47] Simultaneously, an Alabama death row inmate named Gregory Hunt, who was found guilty of the 1988 rape and murder of Karen Lane, is scheduled to be executed by nitrogen hypoxia on the same date as Wainwright.[48]
Aftermath
[edit]In the aftermath of her murder, Carmen Gayheart's funeral was scheduled to be held on May 10, 1994.[49] A trust fund was also set up for her two children.[50]
In May 2014, about 20 years after the rape and murder of Gayheart, her sister expressed in an interview that she and her mother were still waiting for justice to be served and hoped to see both Hamilton and Wainwright executed for murdering her sister, whom she described as the "sweetest girl on the face of the earth". It was further revealed that Gayheart's father had since died in 2013, and Gayheart's sister even petitioned to the governor to sign death warrants for both Hamilton and Wainwright to ensure their executions be conducted sooner.[51]
Mississippi Trooper John Wayne Leggett, the police officer who first spotted the two killers and engaged in a gunfight with them, recounted the case in 2018. Leggett stated that despite not initially realizing that the duo were fugitives, he nonetheless followed them after seeing them in an out-of-state vehicle and suspecting them, and his actions thus contributed to the arrests of both Wainwright and Hamilton. Leggett stated that this was the most unforgettable experience he had throughout the 27 years of his law enforcement career. It was further reported that for his role in apprehending the suspects, Leggett was honored as the statewide "Trooper of the Year" and received the Highway Patrol's Medal of Valor. He was also recognized by Congress and named a 1994 "Top Cop" by the National Association of Police Organizations.[52]
See also
[edit]- Capital punishment in Florida
- List of death row inmates in Florida
- List of people scheduled to be executed in the United States
References
[edit]- ^ "Corrections Offender Network – WAINWRIGHT, ANTHONY F". Florida Department of Corrections. Retrieved May 12, 2025.
- ^ "Corrections Offender Network – HAMILTON, RICHARD E". Florida Department of Corrections. Retrieved May 12, 2025.
- ^ "North Carolina man convicted of 1994 rape, murder of Florida woman to be executed". The Florida Times Union. May 12, 2025.
- ^ "Two escaped prisoners from North Carolina were caught with the woman's car in Mississippi". Sarasota Herald-Tribune. April 30, 1994.
- ^ a b c d Wainwright v. State [1997], Florida Supreme Court (United States).
- ^ "Four death row inmates lost their appeals". Sarasota Herald-Tribune. November 25, 2004.
- ^ "Justices say BB gun can be deadly". Sarasota Herald-Tribune. October 24, 1997.
- ^ "Florida death warrant signed for man guilty of 1994 rape and murder in Hamilton County". WUSF. May 12, 2025.
- ^ "Four on death row lose appeals". Lakeland Ledger. November 25, 2004.
- ^ a b c Hamilton v. State [1997], Florida Supreme Court (United States).
- ^ "Woman still missing after car recovered". Lakeland Ledger. April 30, 1994.
- ^ "N.C. escapees has woman's car". Star-News. April 30, 1994.
- ^ "Deputies find body of missing student". Lakeland Ledger. May 3, 1994.
- ^ "Body of missing Lake City woman found". UPI. May 2, 1994.
- ^ "2 indicted in Gayheart's murder". Gainesville Sun. July 16, 1994.
- ^ "Victim's family wants suspects put to death". Gainesville Sun. July 16, 1994.
- ^ "Defendants in Gayheart trial vow they'll break out of jail". Gainesville Sun. May 23, 1995.
- ^ "Defendants To Wear Shock Belts At Trial". Gainesville Sun. April 4, 1995.
- ^ "Shock: Stun devices labeled by some as inhumane". Gainesville Sun. June 21, 1999.
- ^ "Two juries will hear Gayheart rape and murder". Gainesville Sun. March 14, 1995.
- ^ "Jury selection continues". Gainesville Sun. May 17, 1995.
- ^ "Both suspects guilty". Gainesville Sun. May 31, 1995.
- ^ "Execute Gayheart's killers, juries say". Gainesville Sun. June 2, 1995.
- ^ "Separate juries call for death penalty of 2". Lakeland Ledger. June 6, 1995.
- ^ "Escapees Sentenced To Die For Murder". Lakeland Ledger. June 13, 1995.
- ^ "Florida Nc Men Get Death Sentences". Star-News. June 13, 1995.
- ^ "Gayheart Killers Get Death". Gainesville Sun. June 13, 1995.
- ^ "Prison Escapees Sentenced To Die In Electric Chair For 1994 rape, murder". Ocala Star-Banner. June 13, 1995.
- ^ "Ruling: Bb Guns Can Be Deadly". Boca Raton News. October 24, 1997.
- ^ "Court rules BB gun deadly". Star-News. October 24, 1997.
- ^ Hamilton v. State [2004], Florida Supreme Court (United States).
- ^ Hamilton v. Jones [2017], Florida Supreme Court (United States).
- ^ Hamilton v. State [2018], Florida Supreme Court (United States).
- ^ "Four Death Row appeals rejected". Gainesville Sun. November 25, 2004.
- ^ "Killer captured in Lake loses appeal". Ocala Star-Banner. November 25, 2004.
- ^ Wainwright v. State [2004], Florida Supreme Court (United States).
- ^ "Four death row inmates lose appeals before state high court". Tampa Bay Times. November 25, 2004.
- ^ Wainwright v. State [2007], 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals (United States).
- ^ Wainwright v. State [2008], Florida Supreme Court (United States).
- ^ "Death row inmate appeal denied in 1994 kidnapping, murder in Lake City". WCJB. July 20, 2023.
- ^ Wainwright v. Secretary [2023], 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals (United States).
- ^ Wainwright v. Dixon [2024], U.S. Supreme Court (United States).
- ^ "Convicted murderer dies on death row". Lake City Reporter. January 31, 2023.
- ^ "DeSantis signs death warrant for man convicted in 1994 kidnapping, murder". Tampa Bay Times. May 10, 2025.
- ^ "DeSantis signs execution order for man who killed Florida woman abducted from Winn-Dixie parking lot in 1994". CBS News. May 10, 2025.
- ^ "2 more executions set in Florida, making it 6 so far in 2025". Associated Press. May 13, 2025.
- ^ "Serial killer addresses Donald Trump in last words before execution in Florida". The Straits Times. 15 May 2025.
- ^ "A look at the status of US executions in 2025". Associated Press. May 15, 2025.
- ^ "Slain mom's burial set". Ocala Star-Banner. May 4, 1994.
- ^ "Fund started for Gayheart's two children". Gainesville Sun. May 4, 1994.
- ^ "Grief-stricken family still waiting for daughter's killers to be executed 20 years later". WPBF. May 13, 2014.
- ^ "An April afternoon in 1994". Daily Leader. April 3, 2018.