Gerrard Kaonga
A man who was sentenced to death for the rape and murder of a woman in the 1980s has become the seventeenth death row inmate executed in Florida this year.
Richard Barry Randolph was executed at around 6.P.M ET on November 20, 2025 at the Florida State Prison in Raiford. He was executed by lethal injection and did not offer a final statement.
He is now the seventeenth individual to be put to death in the state of Florida this year, and one of the prosecutors tied to his conviction has spoken out about the crime.
Randolph, who was 63 at the time of his death, was prosecuted for the rape and murder of Minnie Ruth McCollum when he was 27 years old.
Advert
In 1988, he broke into his former place of work, the Handy Way Convenience Store, and attempted to get into the safe, but was then discovered by the 62-year-old McCollum.
During the incident, Randolph beat the victim repeatedly over the head with his hands and feet, stabbing her with a knife and choking her. Court records indicate that Randolph paused in his attack to attempt to get into the safe, something he would ultimately fail to do.
He then raped McCollum before fleeing the scene, driving away in his car. Thankfully, three women witnessed his escape and called the authorities. They also found McCollum still alive, but she would eventually die of her injuries, following a coma in hospital.
Retired prosecutor John Tanner issued a statement earlier this week about the execution and Randolph. Tanner said the victim ‘knew he was going to kill her’.
He added: “He was totally off the rails and so vicious, there was no humanity left in him.”
Speaking to USA Today, Tanner explained how McCollum was a beloved member of the small town she lived in prior to her death. He also noted that this stood out to him due to the prolonged brutality inflicted by Tanner on the victim.
“She was kind of a public figure", he said. "When you work in a small convenience store in Palatka, everyone gets to know everyone.
“They thought the world of her. We had people call in and say that she was just a wonderful person and that they hope we have him pay the penalty for what he's done."
Following the execution of Randolph, the family of the victim asked Jordan Kirkland, a spokesman for the Department of Corrections, to thank Governor Ron DeSantis.