Gudinas and three of his roommates arrived at an Orlando bar, Barbarella’s, between approximately 8:30 and 9 p.m. on May 23, 1994. Prior to arriving at the bar, the group drank beer and smoked marijuana at their apartment and in the car on the way to the bar. While drinking throughout the night, Gudinas and his roommates periodically returned to their car to smoke marijuana. However, when the bar closed at 3 a.m, Gudinas could not be located. One of Gudinas’ roommates, Todd Gates, testified that he last saw Gudinas in the bar at approximately 1 a.m. Rachelle Smith and her fiancé arrived at the same bar between 11 and 11:30 p.m. They stayed until about 2 a.m. Rachelle left the bar at that time, while her fiancé remained inside saying goodbye to friends. She initially went to the wrong parking lot where she saw a man watching her while crouched behind another car. Realizing she was in the wrong parking lot, Rachelle walked to the lot where her car was parked. Because she felt she was being followed, she immediately got into her car and locked the door. Looking into her mirror, she saw the same man she had just seen crouched behind a car in the other parking lot. After trying to open Rachelle’s passenger side door, the man crouched down, came around to the driver’s side and tried to open the door. While screaming at Rachelle, “I want to f___ you,” the man covered his hand with his shirt and began smashing the driver’s side window. Rachelle blew the horn and the man left. Upon hearing of the murder that occurred nearby that same night, Rachelle contacted police, gave a description of the man, and identified Gudinas from a photographic lineup as the man who tried to attack her. She also identified Gudinas at trial.
The victim, Michelle McGrath, was last seen at Barbarella’s at approximately 2:45 a.m. She apparently had left her car in the same parking lot where Rachelle Smith first saw Gudinas crouching behind a car. Between 4 and 5 a.m., Culbert Pressley found Michelle’s keys and a bundle of clothes next to her car in the parking lot. (FN2) Her body was discovered at about 7:30 a.m. in an alley next to Pace School. (FN3) Michelle was naked, except for a bra which was pushed up above her breasts. Jane Brand flagged down Officer Chisari of the Orlando police bicycle patrol. Officer Chisari had been informed by a deputy sheriff on the scene that Pressley had found some keys. Pressley then told Chisari he had just given them to “that guy,” referring to a man walking south. As Chisari then rode toward the man, Ms. Brand screamed as she spotted Michelle’s body. Chisari returned to where Ms. Brand was. Subsequently, he saw a man he later identified as Gudinas driving a red Geo Metro from the parking lot where Michelle had parked her car. Pressley wrote down the car’s license plate and the tag number was traced to Michelle McGrath. The car was later recovered at 7 p.m. that night at the Holiday Club Apartments.
Jury Indicts Gudinas In Downtown Slaying
Friends Suspicious Of Gudinas
Guilty Verdict In Murder Makes Gudinas Cry
Defense: Gudinas Abused As Child, Should Not Die
Jury: Gudinas Deserves To Die
Gudinas Pleads For Life
Mcgrath’s Killer Gets Chair
Convictions, Death Term Upheld In Orlando Slaying
Rapist, Murderer Asks For New Chance At Life
Murderpedia: Thomas Lee Gudinas
Thomas Gudinas – Florida Death Row Inmate
Trial Story: The Murder of Michelle: A Capital Case…
Thomas Lee Gudinas v Michael W. Moore 2001 (habeas corpus denied)
Thomas Lee Gudinas v state of Florida 2003
Thomas Lee Gudinas v Secretary, Department of Corrections, Florida Attorney General
Movies/Documentaries
On The Case With Paula Zahn: Footsteps in the Dark
INMATE INFORMATION
DC Number: 379799
Name: GUDINAS, THOMAS L
Race: WHITE
Sex: MALE
Hair Color: BROWN
Eye Color: HAZEL
Height: 5’07”
Weight: 142 lbs.
Birth Date: 02/27/1974
Initial Receipt Date: 06/19/1995
Current Facility: UNION C.I.
Current Custody: MAXIMUM
Current Release Date: DEATH SENTENCE
Aliases:
THOMAS GUDINAS
THOMAS L GUDINAS
THOMAS LEE GUDINAS
THOMAS LEE GUDINAS JR
Scars, Marks, and Tattoos:
Type Location Description
TATTOO LEFT ARM CROSS
Current Prison Sentence History:
Offense Date Offense Sentence Date County Case No. Prison Sentence Length
05/24/1994 BURGLARY ASSAULT ANY PERSON(ATTEMPTED) 06/16/1995 COLLIER 9500850 30Y 0M 0D
05/24/1994 SEX BAT/ WPN. OR FORCE(ATTEMPTED) 06/16/1995 COLLIER 9500850 30Y 0M 0D
05/24/1994 SEX BAT/ WPN. OR FORCE 06/16/1995 COLLIER 9500850 SENTENCED TO LIFE
05/24/1994 SEX BAT/ WPN. OR FORCE 06/16/1995 COLLIER 9500850 SENTENCED TO LIFE
05/24/1994 1ST DG MUR/PREMED. OR ATT. 06/16/1995 COLLIER 9500850 DEATH SENTENCE
Note: The offense descriptions are truncated and do not necessarily reflect the crime of conviction. Please refer to the court documents or the Florida Statutes for further information or definition.
Incarceration History:
Date In-Custody 06/19/1995
Date Out-of-Custody Currently Incarcerated
