Florida executed two convicted murderers on Tuesday, marking the state's first double execution since 1964, after the U.S. Supreme Court denied their final appeals. The court rejected two separate requests for stays of execution.
James Duckett, 68, a former police officer, was scheduled for execution at noon. His lethal injection was carried out, and he was pronounced dead at 1:19 p.m. by the Florida Department of Corrections. Duckett was convicted in 1987 for the rape and murder of an 11-year-old girl.
Hours later, Dominick Occhicone, 80, was executed. He was convicted of murdering his ex-girlfriend's parents in 1986. The Department of Corrections reported Occhicone was pronounced dead at 6:13 p.m. local time following his lethal injection. Occhicone's execution made him the oldest inmate to be executed in Florida.
This marked the first time Florida had executed two inmates on the same day since 1964. It was the second double execution in the United States this century, following Arkansas's execution of two inmates in 2017.
Florida has carried out 19 executions in 2025 as of Tuesday, more than double the next closest state, Texas, which has executed four inmates this year. According to Florida Department of Corrections data, 12 people have been executed in the state so far this year.
Speaking at the Florida Sheriffs Association Summer Conference, Governor Ron DeSantis stated that his administration is on pace to carry out more executions than any other in Florida's history. He described the process as bringing justice to victims of serious tragedies, emphasizing that it is a weighty matter and not a point of pride.