DC# 391485
DOB  04/10/73

Fourth Judicial Circuit, Duval County, Case # 96-2645
Sentencing Judge: The Honorable William A. Wilkes
Trial Attorneys: Michael Edwards - Private
Attorney, Direct Appeal: Chet Kaufman – Assistant Public Defender
Attorney, Collateral Appeals: Michael P. Reiter - Registry

Date of Offense: 02/25/96

Date of Sentence: 04/04/97

Circumstances of the Offense:

At the time of the offense, Andrew Lukehart lived with his girlfriend, Misty Rhue and her two children, Ashley, aged two, and Gabrielle, age five-months. 

On the afternoon of February 25, 1996, Ms. Rhue put Ashley down for a nap in her bedroom, while Lukehart remained in the other room with Gabrielle. Around 5 p.m., Ms. Rhue heard her car start and she saw Lukehart drive away in her white Oldsmobile.  She also noticed that Gabrielle was not in the house.

Thirty minutes later Ms. Rhue received a call from Lukehart. He stated that an individual in a Blue Chevy Blazer had taken the child from the home and he was chasing them in her car. He asked her to call the police.

After 20 minutes, Ms. Rhue called the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Department. At approximately 6:00 p.m., Mr. Mobley, a witness, reported to the Clay County Sheriff’s Department that a car had run off the road close to his home and he could not find the driver.

While an officer from the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Department was speaking with Ms. Rhue in her home, she received a call from the Clay County Sheriff’s Department. The officer relayed the information that Ms. Rhue’s car had been driven off the road in Clay County, and no one was in the car at the time it was located.

A search ensued in the surrounding area and neither the baby nor driver was found. Helicopters were used in the search, and their presence alerted Mr. Davis, an off duty Florida State Trooper who lived near the area. He went outside and found Lukehart in his front yard.

Lukehart walked up to Trooper Davis with his hands up and stated, “I’m the one they are looking for. Read me my rights.” Trooper Davis was not completely abreast of the situation, and he chose to handcuff Lukehart and then notified his dispatcher.

An officer from the Clay County Sheriff’s office retrieved Lukehart and took him back to the scene of the abandoned car. The officer kept Lukehart handcuffed and waited for an officer from Jacksonville’s Sheriff’s department to interview him because he was the only witness to the alleged abduction.

During this period of time, Lukehart made numerous comments to the officers, such as complaining about Gabrielle soiling her diaper, and wanted to know when he could tell his side of the story.

Lukehart stated that he had placed Gabrielle in the front seat of the Oldsmobile in front of Ms. Rhue’s house and that she had been abducted from the driveway. Lukehart could not describe the person who was driving the Blazer

The police questioned Lukehart at the police station, and he reiterated his second abduction story. Lukehart then stated that he would retrace his steps from Ms. Rhue’s home to the area in Clay County with law enforcement. Lukehart acquiesced that his first story was a lie.

He then stated that the baby had been abducted from a store when he went inside to buy Ms. Rhue and the child some roses. When at the store, the detectives saw that the details of the story were inaccurate, and Lukehart changed his story.

Lukehart then took the police to the place where the Oldsmobile had been found and told them that was where he had lost the Blazer.  

An intensive search was still being conducted for the child. The detective questioned Lukehart again and told him that he did not believe the abduction story. Approximately 18 hours after turning himself in, Lukehart finally admitted to killing the baby. He stated that had he dropped the child while changing her diaper and put her body in a pond in Jacksonville.

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Trial Summary