Overview
- Two inmates were executed at Florida State Prison on Tuesday, July 28, 2026, when James Aren Duckett was pronounced dead at 1:19 p.m. and Dominick Anthony Occhicone was confirmed dead at 6:13 p.m.
- Duckett, 68, was convicted in 1987 of raping and drowning 11-year-old Teresa McAbee and declined to give a final statement, while Occhicone, 80, was convicted in 1986 of killing his former partner’s parents and apologized before his execution.
- State and federal courts denied last‑minute stays and the U.S. Supreme Court refused emergency relief, allowing the executions to proceed after earlier courts reviewed DNA testing and age or health claims.
- Governor Ron DeSantis authorized both executions as Florida sharply increased its use of capital punishment, executing 12 people so far in 2026 and 19 in 2025, a pace that now outstrips other states.
- The double execution renewed calls for clearer rules on forensic DNA testing, more transparency in clemency decisions, and scrutiny of how age and medical claims for elderly inmates are evaluated, while victims’ families said they finally received long‑delayed closure.