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June 3, 2025There is a way to punish without ending another human life
TALLAHASSEE, FL - Florida’s Catholic Bishops have interceded to ask Governor Ron DeSantis to stay the execution of Anthony Wainwright and commute his sentence to life without parole.
Wainwright is scheduled to be executed on June 10 for the 1994 murder of Carmen Gayheart in Hamilton County, FL.
In a letter to DeSantis, FCCB Executive Director Michael Sheedy acknowledged the gravity of Wainwright’s crimes. “Wainwright was found guilty of the heinous kidnapping, robbery, rape, and murder of Carmen Gayheart, a young mother,” wrote Sheedy. “We mourn the tragic death of Mrs. Gayheart. We acknowledge the pain and suffering of her family and friends, and we pray for their comfort.”
Despite his horrible crimes, Sheedy implored the governor to spare Wainwright’s life: “While the gravity of his crimes is such that he owes a debt he cannot repay and deserves a severe punishment, we urge that the state not cut short the time granted to him.”
“We appeal to you that it is possible both to achieve the purposes of punishment and to exercise mercy,” continued Sheedy on behalf of the bishops. “We can entrust the final judgment of every individual to God.”
The Catholic Church teaches that all human life is sacred. Even people who have committed terrible acts and caused great harm possess a human dignity instilled by God, our Creator. The death penalty attacks the inviolability of the human person and perpetuates the cycle of violence that is prevalent in our culture.
Given our modern penal system, executions are unnecessary. Lifelong incarceration without the possibility of parole is a severe yet more humane punishment that ensures societal safety, allows the guilty the possibility of redemption, and offers finality to court processes and the possibility of earlier closure for victims of crime and their families.
Before Wainwright’s scheduled execution, Floridians will gather across the state to pray for him, Gayheart, and her family. Prayers will also be said for an end to the use of the death penalty, as well as for DeSantis as he considers the request to stay the execution.
Full text of letter to DeSantis
# # #The Florida Conference of Catholic Bishops is an agency of the Catholic Bishops of Florida. It speaks for the Church in matters of public policy and serves as liaison to the executive, legislative and judicial branches of government. The archbishop and bishops of the seven (arch)dioceses in Florida constitute its board of directors.