Florida is preparing to do something it hasn’t done in over half a century: put two death row inmates to death on the very same day, hours apart. The state’s plan has sparked fresh debate and drawn attention to a practice that experts describe as “incredibly rare” in modern U. S.
history.
James Duckett, 68, and Dominick Occhicone, 80, are both scheduled to receive lethal injection on Tuesday, July 28, according to reports from multiple outlets including CNN and the Orlando Sentinel. If carried out, it will mark the first time since 1964 that Florida has executed two people in one day.
The last state to execute more than one person in a single day was Arkansas in 2017. Before that, Texas did it in 2000. Robin Maher of the Death Penalty Information Center told The Guardian that the back-to-back executions are “incredibly rare” and reflect the secrecy surrounding Florida’s execution process.
Duckett, a former police officer, was convicted in the 1987 rape and murder of an 11-year-old girl. His execution is set for noon Eastern. His attorneys maintain his innocence, citing inconclusive DNA results.
“The State’s duty is to ensure that justice is done, and not rush to 𝓀𝒾𝓁𝓁 in a case with such serious doubts over guilt,” they told CNN.
According to the Orlando Sentinel, recently tested DNA did not definitively link Duckett to the crime, nor did it exonerate him—so judges allowed his conviction to stand.
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc():focal(749x0:751x2):format(webp)/Florida-execution-072826-078248990e8e4e8d86c15efda39fd1b7.jpg)
Occhicone was convicted of killing his ex-partner’s parents in 1986. His execution is scheduled for 6 p. m.
If it goes forward, he would become the oldest person ever executed in Florida. His attorneys have argued for a stay, claiming his health ailments could make the lethal injection process unusually painful and therefore constitute cruel and unusual punishment.
Both men are currently awaiting possible last-minute stays. As the clock ticks down, the question lingers: will Florida make history in a way that even death penalty experts call 𝓈𝒽𝓸𝒸𝓀𝒾𝓃𝑔?
