STARKE — Harold Gene Lucas, 74, was pronounced dead at 6:18 p.m. on September 9, 2025, following a lethal injection at Florida State Prison near Starke. He was the 14th prisoner executed in Florida this year.

The execution began at 6:00 p.m. with a three-drug injection consisting of a sedative, a paralytic, and a drug that stops the heart. The procedure was carried out without complications.

Lucas awoke at 5:45 a.m. on the day of his execution. He was visited by his sister and ate a last meal of steak and fries. He did not meet with a spiritual adviser before the execution.

Lucas was convicted of the 1976 fatal shooting of Jill Piper and the wounding of Richard Byrd Jr. and Terri Rice. He was sentenced to death five times between 1977 and 1990 due to repeated legal reversals. No appeals after the 1990 sentencing were successful.

In a court proceeding, Lucas said, "I’ve been on death row for 50 years, and I have no desire to carry this any further. The sooner it’s over, the better I’ll enjoy it. I am tired." Governor's Office spokesman Alex Lanfranconi confirmed that Lucas declined to make a final statement.

Lucas was 24 years old in August 1976 when he was arrested for trespassing at Piper’s home in Bonita Springs. He had known Piper for four years, worked for her family, and they had previously dated. Lucas told a friend he planned to marry Piper.

About a week after his arrest, Lucas and Piper had two separate confrontations on the same day. Witnesses testified that Lucas threatened to kill Piper. Piper asked Byrd and Rice to spend the night at her home for protection.

Lucas arrived with a rifle, shot Piper multiple times, and then shot and wounded Byrd and Rice. Lucas was arrested the day after the shooting.

Florida carried out 19 lethal injections in 2025, a state record since the death penalty was reinstated in 1976. A total of 47 people were executed in the U.S. in 2025. In July, Florida executed two prisoners in one day, the first state to do so in nearly a decade. Governor Ron DeSantis has signed death warrants for two more executions later this month.

Timeline

He was initially sentenced to death in 1977 with a 12-0 jury recommendation. The original trial judge resentenced Lucas to death in 1980. A new judge sentenced Lucas to death in 1985 after the original trial judge died.

A new jury recommended death by an 11-1 vote, and Lucas was sentenced to death for the fourth time in 1987. Lucas was sentenced to death for the fifth and final time in 1990. When asked if he had any final statement before the injection began, Lucas said no.

Why It Matters

The case also illustrates the procedural complexities that can extend capital cases over decades. Lucas was sentenced to death five times due to legal reversals, including rulings by the Florida Supreme Court on sentencing considerations and jury recommendations. Despite these reversals, his conviction remained intact, and no appeals after the 1990 sentencing were successful. The execution took place at Florida State Prison, a close/maximum security facility with a capacity of 1,492 inmates that contains one of Florida’s two male death row cell blocks and the state’s execution chamber.