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4h ago

Florida Plans Two Executions on Same Day, Prompting Last‑Minute Appeals

The move raises urgent legal, ethical, medical, logistical questions about evidence, age and execution drug protocols.

James Duckett, left, and Dominick Occhicone were both convicted by juries, and appellate courts have denied multiple attempts to overturn their death sentences – although Duckett has maintained his innocence.
FILE - Clouds hover over the entrance of the Florida State Prison in Starke, Fla., Aug. 3, 2023. (AP Photo/Curt Anderson, file)
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has said his administration is pursuing justice for victims' families as the state's pace of executions increases.
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Overview

  • Florida is scheduled to execute James Aren Duckett at 12:00 p.m. and Dominick Occhicone at 6:00 p.m. on Tuesday, July 28, 2026, at Florida State Prison.
  • Both men have active emergency filings with the U.S. Supreme Court seeking stays after the Florida Supreme Court denied recent post‑conviction relief.
  • Duckett’s lawyers say newly sought DNA testing returned inconclusive results and that a DNA slide was destroyed during testing, and they argue the state blocked further testing under procedural rules.
  • Occhicone’s lawyers contend his advanced age and serious health problems could make execution cruel and unusual and have asked for a factual hearing on Eighth Amendment protections.
  • Defense teams and advocates also cite operational strains and a documented nationwide shortage of the sedative Etomidate, saying Florida has not been transparent about drug sourcing or how carrying out two executions in one day could affect staff and procedures.