Florida carries out first double execution since 1964
Florida executed two death‑row inmates on July 28, 2026, marking the first double execution in the state since 1964. Former police officer James Aren Duckett, 68, was put to death by lethal injection at 1:19 p.m. at the Florida State Prison near Starke after being convicted of the 1987 kidnapping, rape and murder of 11‑year‑old Teresa McAbee. Six hours later, 80‑year‑old Dominick Anthony Occhicone was executed at about 6:00 p.m. in the same chamber for the 1986 killings of his ex‑girlfriend’s parents, Raymond and Martha Artzner. Both men’s appeals were rejected by the Florida Supreme Court, and the U.S. Supreme Court denied last‑minute stays. The executions bring Florida’s 2026 tally to 31, almost half of all U.S. executions since the start of 2025, a surge driven by Governor Ron DeSantis, who has authorized a record number of lethal‑injection deaths in his final term. The event has revived debate over the death penalty, with legal challenges citing DNA evidence and claims of cruel‑and‑unusual punishment due to the inmates’ age and health conditions.
Entities: Death Penalty Information Center · Dominick Anthony Occhicone · Dominick Occhicone · Florida · James Aren Duckett · James Duckett · Ron DeSantis · U.S. Supreme Court
Claims
What the coverage asserts, and how well corroborated each claim is across sources.
- [● 4 SOURCES] The July 28, 2026 executions were the first double execution in Florida since 1964.
- [● 4 SOURCES] Dominick Anthony Occhicone was executed by lethal injection in Florida at about 6:13 p.m. on July 28, 2026. (Florida State Prison, Raiford/Starke)
- [● 4 SOURCES] James Aren Duckett was executed by lethal injection in Florida at 1:19 p.m. on July 28, 2026. (Florida State Prison, Raiford/Starke)
- [● 3 SOURCES] Final appeals for both Duckett and Occhicone were denied by the Florida Supreme Court and the U.S. Supreme Court.
- [● 3 SOURCES] Florida has carried out 31 executions since January 2025, accounting for about half of the 66 executions in the United States. (Death Penalty Information Center data)
- [● 3 SOURCES] Governor Ron DeSantis oversaw 19 executions in 2025, a record for any governor since the death penalty was reinstated in 1976.
- [● 3 SOURCES] Dominick Anthony Occhicone was convicted of murdering his ex‑girlfriend’s parents in 1986.
- [● 3 SOURCES] James Aren Duckett was a former police officer convicted of kidnapping, rape and murder of 11‑year‑old Teresa McAbee in 1987.
- [● 2 SOURCES] Governor Ron DeSantis has overseen the surge in executions and authorized the double execution. (IDs: 100a65ea-959a-4f59-9b82-8a6b54d10521, 443670f1-c3ea-4abf-8ed0-361a1e891fef)
- [● 3 SOURCES] Dominick Anthony Occhicone, 80, was executed by lethal injection at about 6:00 p.m. in the same facility. (IDs: 064cd988-f48d-4e28-a3ee-83ff72b43a49, 73f537a-ffc5-4e1e-a939-41b4bc8fca8e, 84da2bd0-4304-4539-a1bf-741f7832dc4a)
- [● 4 SOURCES] Florida carried out two executions on July 28, 2026, the first double execution in the state since 1964. (IDs: 064cd988-f48d-4e28-a3ee-83ff72b43a49, b1161d74-3c24-4566-9b79-8bbd4ed5ae6f, 3d75ca8b-5fcf-4f5c-a859-6e161168a092, 4)
- [● 2 SOURCES] Since the start of 2025, Florida has executed 19 inmates and 31 inmates in 2026, accounting for about half of all U.S. executions. (IDs: 064cd988-f48d-4e28-a3ee-83ff72b43a49, 3d75ca8b-5fcf-4f5c-a859-6e161168a092)