STARKE, Fla. — Florida became the first state in nearly a decade to carry out two executions on a single day, marking a significant moment for the state's criminal justice system. On Tuesday, officials at Florida State Prison put to death an 80-year-old man and a former police officer within hours of each other. This event marks the first time since Arkansas executed two men in 2017 that a U.S. state has planned such closely spaced lethal injections.
Back-to-Back Executions at Florida State Prison
The executions took place on Tuesday, July 28, 2026, following the denial of last appeals by both the U.S. Supreme Court and the Florida Supreme Court earlier in the week. The first execution involved James Aren Duckett, a 68-year-old former police officer convicted of raping and drowning an 11-year-old girl in 1987. Duckett was pronounced dead at 1:19 p.m.
Hours later, Dominick Anthony Occhicone, the octogenarian inmate, received his lethal injection. Convicted of killing his ex-girlfriend’s parents in 1986, Occhicone was pronounced dead at 6:13 p.m. He is noted as the oldest prisoner executed in Florida since modern record-keeping began a century ago.
Record Pace Under Governor DeSantis
Governor Ron DeSantis has made Florida’s death chamber the nation's busiest, stating that families have waited too long for justice. Since 2025 began, Florida has carried out nearly half of all state executions across the country. With Tuesday's events, Florida has conducted 13 executions in 2026 alone.
DeSantis decided earlier this month to carry out both executions on the same day. He previously noted that some inmates on death row committed crimes as far back as the 1980s. "Justice delayed is justice denied," DeSantis said last year, emphasizing his commitment to ensuring the process ran smoothly, as this newspaper reported in Florida Executes Two Inmates in One Day at State Prison.
Reactions and Historical Context
The rapid pace of executions has drawn criticism from advocacy groups. Floridians for Alternatives to the Death Penalty urged DeSantis to halt both events, calling it an "unprecedented escalation." Executive director Grace Hanna stated that Florida continues to expand capital punishment despite evidence suggesting many residents oppose it.
For the families involved, the executions brought long-awaited closure but also deep emotion. Dorothy Tula, mother of victim Teresa McAbee, said she waited nearly 40 years for justice. Meanwhile, Occhicone apologized to his family and the victims' relatives before his execution began at 6:02 p.m.
