- Florida is preparing to carry out the state’s first double execution within a single day since the start of the modern era of the US death penalty in 1976.
- James Aren Duckett, 68, is scheduled to die by lethal injection at noon on Tuesday at Florida state prison near Starke.
- Six hours later, Dominick Anthony Occhicone, 80, faces the same fate.
- Should both killings be completed, it would be the first time since 2017 that a death penalty state has conducted more than one execution on the same day.
- According to Robin Maher, executive director of the Death Penalty Information Center, 'Two executions in a day is incredibly rare.'
- Under DeSantis’s leadership, Florida has pulled way ahead of the pack of death penalty states, eclipsing even Texas.
- Last year, Florida carried out 10 executions, single-handedly reversing a decade-long decline in judicial killings in the US.
- Even before Tuesday’s double execution, the state had put to death 10 people – more than double the next most prolific state, Texas, with four.
- Critics, including Matt Wells, deputy director of Reprieve US, argue that rushing executions increases the chances of a torturous death.
- If Occhicone dies, he will be the oldest prisoner in Florida’s history to be executed.
- Duckett, a former police officer, was sentenced to death for murdering an 11-year-old girl in 1987.
- In both cases, neither jury was unanimous for the death sentence.
Florida is preparing for an unprecedented double execution on Tuesday, with James Duckett and Dominick Occhicone scheduled to die by lethal injection.12
Duckett, 68, was sentenced to death for the 1987 murder of an 11-year-old girl, while Occhicone, 80, could become the oldest executed prisoner in Florida's history.
“Two executions in a day is incredibly rare,” said Robin Maher, executive director of the Death Penalty Information Center.5
This marks the first time since 2017 that a death penalty state has conducted more than one execution on the same day.4
Florida has been leading the nation in executions, having put to death 10 individuals this year alone, more than double that of Texas, which has executed four.
Critics argue that the rush to execute increases the risk of a torturous death.
“By rushing executions, Florida is increasing the chances that these and other men will suffer a torturous death,” said Matt Wells, deputy director of Reprieve US.9
In both cases, the juries were not unanimous in their death sentences, raising further ethical concerns about the executions.12
If both executions proceed as planned, it will be a significant moment in the ongoing debate over the death penalty in the United States.
“Florida has executed 10 people this year, more than double the next most prolific state, Texas, which has executed four. Critics, including Matt Wells from Reprieve US, warn that rushing executions increases the risk of a torturous death, raising ethical concerns about the state's practices.”
The Guardian
