Bio

Andrew Richard Lukehart was born on April 10, 1973. By 1996, Lukehart was living in Duval County, Florida, with his girlfriend, Misty Rhue, her two young daughters, and other members of the household. The children were Ashley, age 2, and Gabrielle Hanshaw, age 5 months.

Before Gabrielle’s death, Lukehart had a prior child-abuse conviction involving another child. In that earlier case, he pleaded guilty to felony child abuse and received a prison sentence and probation. That history later became part of the legal background in his capital case.

On the day of the murder, Lukehart was left in another room with Gabrielle while Misty Rhue put her older daughter down for a nap. A short time later, Gabrielle was missing from the home, and Lukehart drove away in Rhue’s car. His later false reports of an abduction led police on a search before he eventually admitted that Gabrielle was dead.

Murder Story

On February 25, 1996, Andrew Richard Lukehart was at home with his girlfriend, Misty Rhue, and her two daughters. After the family returned from errands, Rhue took her 2-year-old daughter Ashley into a bedroom for a nap. Lukehart stayed in another room with 5-month-old Gabrielle.

At about 5:15 p.m., Rhue heard her car starting outside. She looked out and saw Lukehart leaving in her white Oldsmobile. When she searched the house, Gabrielle was gone. About 30 minutes later, Lukehart called Rhue from a convenience store and claimed that someone in a blue Chevrolet Blazer had taken Gabrielle and that he was chasing the vehicle.

Police began searching for the baby. Rhue’s car was later found abandoned in a wooded area in Clay County after being driven off the road. Lukehart appeared at the home of an off-duty Florida Highway Patrol trooper, raised his hands, and said he was the person police were looking for.

At first, Lukehart repeated the abduction story. He later changed his account and claimed Gabrielle had been abducted from a store while he went inside to buy roses. Investigators found problems with his story, and he changed his version again. After hours of questioning and searching, Lukehart finally admitted that Gabrielle was dead.

Lukehart told police that he had dropped Gabrielle while changing her diaper and placed her body in water. During his trial, he testified that the baby would not lie flat while he was changing her diaper and that he forcefully pushed her head and neck down. He said she stopped breathing and that he panicked.

Police later recovered Gabrielle’s body. Lukehart was charged with first-degree murder and aggravated child abuse. On February 27, 1997, a jury found him guilty on both counts. On March 14, 1997, the jury recommended death by a 9–3 vote. On April 4, 1997, the trial court sentenced him to death for first-degree murder and to 15 years for aggravated child abuse.

Lukehart appealed for many years. His main challenges included claims that his statements to police should have been suppressed and that his trial counsel was ineffective during the penalty phase. The Florida Supreme Court upheld his conviction and death sentence, and the United States Supreme Court denied review. In 2022, the Eleventh Circuit also rejected his federal habeas claims, finding that his statements were either spontaneous or made after he reinitiated contact with police and waived his rights.

In May 2026, Governor Ron DeSantis signed a death warrant for Lukehart. His execution is scheduled for June 2, 2026, at Florida State Prison in Starke, with the execution window running from noon on June 2 through noon on June 9.