Florida carries out two executions in one day, including former officer James Duckett
The Facts
- Florida executed James Aren Duckett, 68, by lethal injection on Tuesday and pronounced him dead at 1:19 p.m.
- Florida also executed Dominick Occhicone, 80, later the same day, resulting in two executions in Florida on Tuesday.
- The two executions were Florida's first on the same day since 1964.
- Duckett had been convicted in the 1987 killing of an 11-year-old girl while he was working as a police officer.
- Occhicone had been convicted in the 1986 killings of his ex-girlfriend's parents.
- The executions were Florida's 11th and 12th of 2026.
- Multiple outlets reported that Gov. Ron DeSantis set or authorized both execution dates as Florida has increased the pace of executions during his term.
- Occhicone's execution made him the oldest person executed in Florida since the state resumed executions in 1976, and reports said he was the second-oldest inmate executed in modern U.S. history.
Context
Why is this day unusual in Florida?
Florida had not carried out two executions on the same day since 1964, according to multiple reports. Several outlets also noted that no U.S. state had carried out nearly back-to-back executions in one day since Arkansas did so in 2017 infobae Fox News CBS News.
Who were the two men executed?
James Aren Duckett, 68, was a former police officer convicted in the 1987 killing of an 11-year-old girl, and Dominick Occhicone, 80, was convicted in the 1986 killings of his ex-girlfriend's parents CNN International infobae CBS News.
Why does this matter beyond the individual cases?
The executions added to Florida's total for the year, bringing it to 12, and multiple reports said the state has accelerated executions under Gov. Ron DeSantis, making Florida the busiest state for executions in the country this year NYT NBC News CBS News.
Where Left and Right agree, and where they split
- Where Left and Right agree
- Florida sharply increased its use of capital punishment, carrying out two lawful death sentences in one day for especially grave murders.
- Where Left and Right split
- A state intensifying its irreversible power, or a state fulfilling its duty to carry out lawful punishment for brutal crimes.
How left and right read it
Florida carried out two executions in one day for the first time since 1964, its 11th and 12th executions of 2026, after Ron DeSantis set or authorized both dates. That is not just punishment; it is the state accelerating its use of irreversible power, including against an 80-year-old man. Stop treating execution volume as a measure of justice.
“Republican Governor Ron DeSantis has made Florida's death chamber the nation's busiest during his final term, citing that too many families have waited too long to see justice.” — The Independent
Eleven and twelve in 2026, carried out in a single day for the first time since 1964, is a concrete sign that Florida is willing to enforce the law in the gravest cases. These were convictions for the 1987 killing of an 11-year-old girl and the 1986 killings of two parents. The state’s duty is to carry lawful sentences through.
“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.” — Washington Times
The receipts — 103 sources
Wire services (12)
Independent coverage (91)
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