Death row inmate’s chilling final message to wife and victim’s family after heinous crime 30 years ago

Anthony Wainwright, a man who spent nearly three decades on death row, was executed in Florida for the brutal rape and murder of 23-year-old Carmen Gayheart. The crime took place in 1994, shortly after Wainwright and another inmate, Richard Hamilton, escaped from prison. Just three days after their escape, the two men abducted Carmen from a grocery store parking lot in Lake City, a small city in northern Florida.

Carmen, a young mother of two and a nursing student, was known for being kind, responsible, and deeply committed to her family. On that day, she was simply going about her normal routine when her life was violently taken from her. Wainwright and Hamilton took her to a remote wooded area, where she was raped. Wainwright then strangled her and shot her twice in the head, leaving her body in the woods.

Both men were caught and put on trial. During the trial in 1995, they each tried to shift the blame onto the other, but the jury didn’t buy it. The evidence was overwhelming, and both were found guilty of murder, rape, kidnapping, and robbery. They were sentenced to death. Richard Hamilton died of natural causes on death row two years ago. Now, nearly 30 years later, Wainwright has faced the sentence handed down to him all those years ago. He was executed by lethal injection at around 6 p.m. on June 10 at Florida State Prison, located not far from where the crime occurred.

In his final moments, Wainwright gave a message to the victim’s family and to his wife, Samantha. Addressing Carmen Gayheart’s loved ones, he said he hoped his death would give them peace and healing. But he didn’t apologize. He didn’t express regret or ask for forgiveness for the horrific violence and pain he had caused. For many, this made his final words feel hollow. Carmen’s sister, Maria David, sat through the execution, holding onto decades of grief and anger. After it was over, she told reporters that she was glad to finally put the name Anthony Wainwright behind her. She spoke of Carmen as a beautiful, devoted mother and wife whose life was stolen in the cruelest way possible.

Wainwright also spoke to his wife, who had remained loyal to him through his years on death row. He called her the love of his life and described their years together as “magical.” He thanked everyone who had supported them and said their love would last forever, even quoting a line from the movie The Princess Bride: “Death cannot stop true love. All it can do is delay it for a while.” His words focused on love and loyalty but offered no real sense of accountability for the devastating crime he committed.

Carmen Gayheart’s family had waited three decades for justice. They had lived with the pain and trauma of losing her in such a violent way, knowing the man responsible had lived on for years. Now, with the execution complete, they are left to grieve and heal, knowing that while Carmen can never be brought back, the man who caused their pain can no longer harm anyone else.