Florida conducts first double execution in over 60 years
Florida carried out two executions on July 28, marking the state's first double execution since 1964 and reflecting its heightened use of the death penalty under Governor Ron DeSantis.
Florida executed two inmates on July 28, the first time the state has carried out a double execution since 1964. Former police officer James Duckett, 68, was put to death at 1:19 p.m. ET for the 1987 murder of 11-year-old Teresa Mae McAbee. Five hours later, 80-year-old Dominick Occhicone was executed at 6:13 p.m. ET for the 1986 killings of his ex-fiancée’s parents.
Duckett had been convicted of rape and murder after Teresa McAbee’s body was found in a lake near Mascotte, Florida. He received a death sentence in 1988 and was scheduled for execution earlier in the year, but a temporary reprieve was granted pending DNA testing, which later proved inconclusive. Occhicone was sentenced to death in 1992 after a jury found him guilty of the double homicide; he became the oldest person ever executed in Florida.
The executions occurred amid a significant increase in the use of capital punishment in the state. Since January 2025, Florida has carried out 31 of the 66 executions nationwide, representing 47% of all U.S. executions in that period. The state also leads the nation in executing elderly inmates, with 18 of the 25 prisoners aged 62 or older executed across six states this year being Florida residents.
Governor Ron DeSantis, who has signed more death warrants than any of his predecessors, said the executions provide closure for victims’ families, noting that “justice delayed is justice denied.” The governor’s office did not comment on allegations that the timing of the executions is politically motivated.
Advocates opposing the death penalty have criticized the rapid pace of the executions and the decision to carry out two in a single day, citing concerns about the impact on prison staff and the possibility of wrongful convictions. Robin Maher, executive director of the Death Penalty Information Center, described the governor’s approach as “secretive” and “self-serving,” adding that it shows a “reckless disregard” for due process.
Family members of the victims expressed relief that the sentences had been carried out after decades of waiting, while also acknowledging that the executions do not erase their grief.