James Aren Duckett, a former police officer, was executed by lethal injection early Tuesday for the 1987 rape and murder of 11-year-old Teresa McAbee in central Florida. He was pronounced dead at Florida State Prison near Starke after receiving a three-drug cocktail.
Duckett, 68, was the 11th inmate executed in Florida in 2026. He declined to make a final statement, responding "no sir" when asked. Four minutes later, a prison warden shook him and shouted his name, but Duckett was unresponsive.
Second Execution Scheduled Same Day
Duckett's death came hours before Dominick Anthony Occhicone, 80, is set to be executed, making him the second-oldest inmate put to death in modern U.S. history. This marks the first time in nearly a decade that a state has carried out two executions in one day; the last instance was in Arkansas in 2017.
Florida's Death Penalty Surge
Florida's Republican Governor Ron DeSantis has overseen a surge in executions, making the state's death chamber the busiest in the country as his final term ends. DeSantis has stated that too many families have waited too long for justice. Nationwide, the death penalty had been declining for more than 20 years, but the pace in Florida has driven the numbers back up. Since 2025, Florida has carried out nearly half of all state executions in the United States.
