The state of Florida executed Richard Barry Randolph at 6:12 p.m. on Thursday. He died just 10 minutes after the first lethal injection drug was administered, according to news correspondent and witness John Koch.
While in prison, Randolph converted to Islam and changed his name to Malik Abdul-Sajjad.
He was sentenced to death for the rape and murder of a Palatka woman in 1988.
He is the 17th person executed by the state in 2025, the most executions by the state in any single year. The previous record was eight executions in 2014.
His crime
On the morning of Aug. 15, 1988, Randolph planned to steal money from the local Handy-Way store in Palatka where he previously worked, court documents state.
He made his move when the manager, Minnie McCollum, went to check the gas pumps. However, she came back early and caught Randolph. He forced her into the back room, where he beat, strangled, stabbed and raped her.
Three people asked Randolph about McCollum’s whereabouts as he left the store and locked it. He told them her car had broken down and he was going to pick her up.
Skeptical, they called the police, who forced their way into the store to find McCollum still alive but bleeding from her head and neck.
She was taken to the hospital, where she died six days later.
After locking the doors of the store, Randolph stole the victim’s car and drove to his girlfriend’s house, where he told her he had robbed the store.
He drove the car to Jacksonville later that day, where he was arrested. He then confessed his crimes to Putnam County detectives.
His punishment
In February 1989, Randolph was found guilty of first-degree murder, armed robbery, sexual battery and grand theft of a motor vehicle.
The jury found a number of aggravating factors, including that the murder was committed during a sexual battery and the “brutal” nature of the killing
It found multiple mitigating circumstances as well, including the fact Randolph was addicted to crack cocaine, but the court said these did not outweigh the aggravating factors.
Eight out of 12 jurors recommended a death sentence, leading the judge to sentence him to death on April 5, 1989.
Florida is one of the only states in the country that doesn’t require a unanimous jury recommendation to hand down a death sentence.
Randolph filed a number of appeals over the years, but all were denied.
Gov. Ron DeSantis signed his death warrant on Oct. 21. Shortly after, Randolph filed an emergency motion to stay his execution, but the courts found no merit to his appeals and denied it on Nov. 7.
The day of the execution
Members of the Our Lady of Lourdes church in Daytona Beach stepped off a contracted coach bus onto the lawn across from Florida State Prison on Thursday for the 17th time this year.
They headed to a spot on the lawn marked by a wooden sign labeled “opponents”.
Of the approximately 55 people standing on this side of the lawn, the majority belong to the church.
The few not with the church included the Floridians for Alternatives to the Death Penalty Executive Director Grace Hanna.
She has expressed to The Alligator several times that executing people doesn’t bring back their victims.
Debbie Vomero, a volunteer for the prison ministry of the Diocese of St. Augustine, shares similar sentiments.
Her opposition to the death penalty not only stems from her beliefs as a Catholic, but also her personal relationship with death row. Her pen pal, Darryl Barwick, was executed by Florida in 2023.
Vomero opposes the death penalty in every case.
“God brought them into the world, and God should decide when he brings them home,” she said.
The Catholic church supports this view, and the deacon of the Diocese of Orlando, Angelo Guevara, came to voice that opinion, alongside a deacon from Mississippi.
“Every single time we have some of these executions, every single time, we are taking people’s dignity away,” he said.
On the other side of the lawn, separated by a large tree, stood Bill Campbell by a wooden sign almost identical to the other side’s. The only difference: it had the words “supporters” carved onto it.
Campbell started coming to the prison to show his support for the death penalty after hearing about people coming to protest the practice.
“I’m out here because the protesters are out here protesting against good state government,” he said. “How about complaining about the poor woman getting murdered?”
Florida Department of Corrections Communications Director Jordan Kirkland said in a press conference outside the prison, “The victim’s family wanted me to thank the governor on their behalf.”
There are two more executions scheduled before the end of the year: Dec. 12 and Dec. 18.
Contact Alexa Ryan at aryan@alligator.org. Follow her on X @AlexaRyan_.
Alexa is a second-year journalism and international studies students serving as the Fall 2025 Criminal Justice beat reporter. She previously served as a copy editor. She spends her free time running, traveling, having movie nights and going on random side quests with friends.
