Florida plans to execute two men at Florida State Prison in Starke on Tuesday, marking the first time in more than six decades that the state carries out multiple executions within a single day. The scheduled lethal injections for James Duckett and Dominick Occhicone occur hours apart as state officials continue to accelerate the pace of capital punishment under the administration of Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis.
Accelerated Execution Pace Draws Criticism
The scheduling has drawn sharp reactions from religious leaders and legal advocates. Father Dustin Feddon, a Catholic priest who has visited prisoners on Florida’s death row for over a decade, described the event as a "rupture to the system." He noted that while he is no longer shocked by the volume of death warrants signed, executing two individuals within six hours presents unique logistical challenges.
Maria DeLiberato, senior counsel at the ACLU’s Capital Punishment Project, stated in an interview with CNN that this administration represents "the most active death penalty administration we’ve ever seen." Under Gov. Ron DeSantis, Florida executed 19 inmates in 2025, a record high more than double the state's previous modern-era record. The state has already put 10 prisoners to death this year.
Case Details and Legal Challenges
James Duckett is scheduled for execution at noon on Tuesday after spending over three decades on death row. He was convicted in 1987 of murdering 11-year-old Teresa McAbee, whose body was found in a lake. Court documents indicate he was the last person seen with the child before her death. The Florida Supreme Court recently cleared his execution following inconclusive post-conviction DNA testing results.
Hours later, the state plans to execute 80-year-old Dominick Occhicone, who would be the second octogenarian executed in the modern U.S. era according to data from the Death Penalty Information Center (DPIC). Convicted of double murder for killing his former girlfriend’s parents in 1986, Occhicone argued that his age and health complications violated Eighth Amendment protections against cruel and unusual punishment. The state Supreme Court rejected this argument last week.
Context Within National Trends
The accelerated pace in Florida contrasts with a national decline in executions since the U.S. Supreme Court reinstated capital punishment in 1976. However, data from DPIC shows that more than half of all executions occurring this year have taken place in Florida.
Advocates point to concerns regarding potential complications arising from compressed timelines. Maya Foa, CEO of Reprieve, described the situation as an "execution spree at a grand scale," noting that carrying out multiple lethal injections within one day increases stress on the process. Both inmates have filed lawsuits seeking to halt their executions, with appeals currently pending.
