From Newsgroup: alt.law-enforcement
https://www.pbs.org/newshour/nation/florida-executes-ex-police-officer-convicted-of-murder-first-of-2-lethal-injections-set-for-single-day
Florida executes ex-police officer convicted of murder, first of 2
lethal injections set for single day
Nation Jul 28, 2026 4:07 PM EDT
STARKE, Fla. (AP) rCo A former police officer convicted of the on-duty
rape and murder of a young girl was put to death Tuesday, the first of
two lethal injections planned for a single day in Florida, hours before
an 80-year-old man was to become the second-oldest inmate executed in
modern U.S. history.
It has been nearly a decade since any state carried out two executions
in a one day, when Arkansas had back-to-back executions in 2017.
READ MORE: Florida to execute 3 of its oldest death row inmates by the
end of the month
Florida Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis has stepped up executions over the
past 18 months at a pace unseen in the state since 1976 when the U.S. reinstated the death penalty, making Florida's death chamber the
nation's busiest.
Since the beginning of 2025, Florida has carried out nearly half the
state executions nationwide.
James Aren Duckett, 68, was pronounced dead at 1:19 p.m. following a three-drug injection at Florida State Prison near Starke. The 11th
inmate executed by the state this year, Duckett was convicted of raping
and drowning 11-year-old Teresa McAbee while he was working as a police officer in central Florida in 1987.
Duckett declined to make a final statement, responding "no sir" when
asked. About 4 minutes after the execution began, the prison's warden
shook Duckett and shouted his name, but there was no response.
Afterward, the girl's family members said they suffered for decades
waiting for this day.
"I waited nearly 40 years to have him dead," Dorthy Tula, the victim's
mother, said before breaking down.
"This man took advantage of his badge," said Tracy Mcfall-Buskirk, the
girl's cousin.
Later Tuesday, 80-year-old Dominick Anthony Occhicone was scheduled to
become the oldest prisoner executed in Florida's modern history starting
at 6 p.m. He was convicted of killing his ex-girlfriend's parents in 1986.
Florida execution came after last-minute appeals
Until Tuesday, a total of 17 executions had been carried out in the U.S.
so far this year, with Florida leading the way with more executions than
all other states combined.
Both men had made last-ditch appeals to the U.S. Supreme Court, and last
week, the Florida Supreme Court denied appeals by both men to intervene.
Duckett's attorneys had unsuccessfully claimed Duckett's innocence and
argued the state's handling of the DNA evidence is the reason for the inconclusive results.
Occhicone's attorneys had argued that several age-related ailments,
including kidney
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