Florida Executes Former Officer for 11-Year-old's Murder

WHO:

CNN - James Aren Duckett, 68, a former police officer convicted of the rape and murder of an 11-year-old girl.

CNN - Dominick Anthony Occhicone, 80, scheduled to be executed later the same day, convicted of killing his ex-girlfriend’s parents.

CNN - Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, overseeing the executions.

CNN - Grace Hanna, executive director of Floridians for Alternatives to the Death Penalty.

WHAT:

CNN - Duckett was executed by lethal injection at Florida State Prison near Starke.

CNN - Duckett was the 11th inmate executed by Florida in the year.

CNN - Occhicone was scheduled to become the oldest prisoner executed in Florida’s modern history.

CNN - Florida has carried out 17 executions in the US so far this year, leading all states.

CNN - DeSantis oversaw a record 19 executions in 2025, the most in a single year since the death penalty was reinstated in 1976.

NY Post - Florida is set to carry out a double execution in one day, the first state to do so in nearly a decade.

WHERE:

CNN - Florida State Prison near Starke, Florida.

CNN - Central Florida, where Duckett committed his crime.

WHEN:

CNN - Duckett was pronounced dead at 1:19 p.m.

CNN - Occhicone's execution was scheduled for 6 p.m. on the same day.

CNN - DeSantis signed a death warrant for Duckett in February, with a previous execution date set for March 31.

CNN - The Florida Supreme Court issued a stay just days before Duckett's planned execution in March.

WHY:

CNN - DeSantis aims to bring justice to victims’ families who have waited decades for death sentences to be carried out.

CNN - Duckett's attorneys claimed his innocence and argued the handling of DNA evidence was flawed.

CNN - Occhicone's attorneys argued that his age-related ailments could make his execution especially painful.

HOW:

CNN - Executions in Florida are carried out by a three-drug injection method, including a sedative, a paralytic, and a drug that stops the heart.

CNN - The Florida Supreme Court denied last-minute appeals from both Duckett and Occhicone.

(UPDATED July 28, 2026 19:30 UTC)

James Aren Duckett, a 68-year-old former police officer convicted of the rape and murder of an 11-year-old girl, was executed by lethal injection at Florida State Prison near Starke, marking him as the 11th inmate executed in Florida this year. Meanwhile, 80-year-old Dominick Anthony Occhicone is scheduled for execution later today, which would make him the oldest prisoner executed in Florida’s modern history. Governor Ron DeSantis, who has overseen a record number of executions in recent years, aims to bring justice to victims’ families, despite ongoing legal challenges regarding the cases of both men.