Death row inmate’s ordinary ultimate act of defiance ahead of he was once achieved for raping and murdering younger mother

A dying row inmate achieved for the 1994 rape and homicide of a tender mom declined his ultimate meal ahead of being put to dying by way of deadly injection, his religious adviser tells the Daily Mail. 

Anthony Wainwright, 54, were so afraid of loss of life within the days main as much as his execution that Reverend Jeff Hood flew from Arkansas to Florida to be by way of his aspect in his ultimate hours.

It was once throughout the ones hours that Wainwright discovered ‘perfect peace’ together with his approaching destiny, now not seeing his dying as a definitive finish however somewhat as a brand new starting.

‘He was ready to get out of prison,’ Hood instructed DailyMail.com. ‘I kept on telling him that this was his release date.’

After discovering his interior peace, Wainwright made up our minds to forgo the long-standing ritual of a final meal.  

In Florida, dying row inmates are authorised a last banquet price as much as $40, however the meals will have to be ready within the jail kitchen. Takeout, alcohol, and cigarettes are all forbidden.

‘He just wanted to focus on pushing through and how he was feeling,’ defined Hood. ‘He was very much concentrating on staying in a place of peace, and he felt like anything like that would distract him; distract him from his family and the people he loved.

‘It was quite beautiful that he wanted to go out that way.’

Wainwright didn’t make an apology to the circle of relatives of Carmen Gayheart (pictured), the 23-year-old mother-of-two he and an associate raped and killed in 1994

Wainwright was once achieved at Florida State Prison in Raiford on Tuesday night, turning into the 6th inmate to be put to dying by way of deadly injection within the state this 12 months.

He – at the side of his associate Richard Hamilton – was once convicted in 1995 of raping and murdering Carmen Gayheart, a 23-year-old nursing pupil and mom-of-two, after abducting her from a Winn-Dixie parking zone in April 1994.

The two males dedicated the horrific crime days after escaping from jail in Newport, North Carolina, the place Wainwright was once serving 10 years for breaking and coming into, and Hamilton 25 years for armed theft.

They noticed Gayheart by myself as she was once loading groceries at the back of her blue Ford Bronco, snuck up on her, and compelled her into her personal automobile at gunpoint, ahead of riding away.

Gayheart was once pushed to a secluded space in Hamilton County, the place she was once raped by way of the 2 males, strangled, after which achieved with two rifle pictures to the again of her head.

Wainwright and Hamilton have been stuck day after today, 500 miles away in Mississippi, following a shootout with police.

They led investigators to Gayheart’s frame and have been every later convicted of homicide, kidnapping, theft and rape – with the jury unanimously recommending they be sentenced to dying by way of the electrical chair.

Hamilton died in jail from herbal reasons in 2023. But Wainwright lived lengthy sufficient to be achieved Tuesday simply after 6pm by the use of deadly injection.

In addition to Hood, Wainwright was once visited by way of his spouse, Samantha Hill, within the hours ahead of his dying.

Wainwright made a last remark, however it was once inaudible from a viewing room the place 27 witnesses, together with contributors of Gayheart’s circle of relatives, have been staring at on.

Hood shared Wainwright’s parting remarks with DailyMail.com.

Wainwright and Richard Hamilton (pictured proper) have been convicted of homicide, kidnapping, theft and rape, with the jury unanimously recommending they be sentenced to dying by way of the electrical chair

Wainwright was once achieved at Florida State Prison in Raiford on Tuesday night, turning into the 6th inmate to be put to dying by way of deadly injection within the state this 12 months 

Wainwright spoke immediately to his spouse and thanked her for her loyalty and toughen via all of his criminal appeals.

‘My stunning spouse Samantha, you’re the love of my lifestyles. I’m so blessed we discovered every different. The years we’ve spent in combination were past glorious,’ Wainwright stated.

‘They’ve been downright magical. Love is more potent than dying, and I do know our love will closing for eternity.

‘I sought after to thank everybody who has supported my spouse, Samantha, and I. It has in reality been overwhelming. It has intended such a lot to us each,’ he added.

He concluded with a quote from The Princess Bride, particularly a remark uttered by way of the nature Westley, performed by way of Cary Elwes, to his romantic pastime Buttercup, performed by way of Robin Wright.

‘Death can not forestall real love. All it could possibly do is extend it for some time,’ the convicted assassin and rapist instructed his spouse.

Wainwright stopped wanting apologizing to Gayheart’s circle of relatives, however stated he hopes ‘my dying brings you peace and therapeutic.’

He additionally railed towards what he deemed a damaged court docket machine.

‘The court docket machine is damaged, particularly in Florida. Please proceed the combat. Because I will be able to promise you they don’t seem to be going to let up. They will proceed to homicide if we proceed to let it occur,’ Wainwright stated.

He thenn criticized his lawyer, Baya Harrison, who has represented different dying row inmates in Florida.

‘I’m hoping that no one forgets how horrible of an lawyer Baya Harrison has been to all folks guys at the row and the way horrible he represented me for such a lot of years. He could be Florida’s worst lawyer,’ he stated.

Carmen Gayheart is pictured on her wedding ceremony day together with her sister Maria David (left). David watched her sister’s killer take his ultimate breaths from the front-row of the execution chamber

None of Wainwright’s pals or circle of relatives have been provide for his dying, Hood stated.

The execution started at 6:10pm, and witnesses famous Wainwright’s shoulders visibly shuddering after the injection was once administered.

Hood stated that ‘this was once now not as blank of a deadly injection because the others that I’ve noticed,’ however ‘it was once now not unhealthy sufficient to mention that it was once botched.’

Wainwright blinked and took a number of deep breaths ahead of going utterly nonetheless at 6:14pm. He was once formally pronounced lifeless 8 mins later at 6:22pm.

Gayheart’s older sister, Maria David, sat entrance and middle when Wainwright took his closing breaths on Tuesday.

Ahead of the execution, she instructed DailyMail.com she was hoping Wainwright was once gripped by way of the similar concern and terror he subjected her more youthful sibling to in her closing moments of lifestyles.

‘Carmen was so scared for her life in her final moments, thinking, “This is it. I’m gonna die.” And I will be able to most effective hope that concern is one thing he’s feeling now, too,’ David stated,

‘She died in a horrific way… it kills me what they did to my baby sister. So I’m happy that is the closing time I’ll ever see him, and the closing time I’ll ever need to take into consideration Anthony Wainwright.’

Hood stated that Wainwright’s execution was once extremely emotional, likening witnessing his dying to being ‘kicked in the nuts.’

‘This is the 10th execution I’ve been to. It’s in reality like being kicked within the nuts,’ he stated.

‘I’ve been shut with Anthony for 4 years now. He’s now not any individual I simply met. He mattered a perfect deal to me… after which to have to look at them be murdered proper in entrance of you… It’s scary and it is enraging.’

Gayheart was once about to prompt to assemble her five-year-old daughter and three-year-old son from daycare when she was once ambushed and kidnapped by way of Wainwright and his associate, Richard Hamilton

A final-minute request for a keep in Wainwright’s execution was once denied by way of the Supreme Court.

Over the years, his legal professionals have filed more than one unsuccessful appeals in line with what they stated have been issues together with his trial and proof that he suffered from mind harm and highbrow incapacity.

Since his execution was once scheduled closing month, his legal professionals have argued in state and federal court docket filings that his dying must be placed on cling to permit time for courts to listen to further criminal arguments in his case.

In a submitting with the Supreme Court, his legal professionals argued that his case has been ‘marred by way of essential, systemic screw ups at nearly each level and throughout the signing of his dying warrant.’

Those screw ups come with improper DNA proof that wasn’t disclosed to the protection till after opening statements, inaccurate jury directions, inflammatory and misguided final arguments, and missteps by way of court-appointed legal professionals, the submitting says.

David known as Wainwright’s makes an attempt to revise the previous shameful.

If the rest, David stated the killer must be thankful that he was once being given the deadly injection, somewhat than the electrical chair as initially prescribed.

‘He’s getting off simple,’ David stated. ‘I’m sad it’s not the electric chair.’

‘He’s going to get an injection that places him off to sleep such as you’d do to your circle of relatives’s in poor health canine, the canine you really liked with your entire center.

‘Carmen suffered… but he’s taking the straightforward manner out. He’s had 31 years respiring, telephone calls, letters, all of that – the entirety he robbed Carmen of.’