Florida
Florida Executes Two Inmates, Including Oldest on Record
UPDATE: The state of Florida executed 80-year-old Dominick Anthony Occhicone Tuesday evening, making him the oldest prisoner executed in Florida’s modern history. He was convicted of killing his ex-girlfriend’s parents in 1986. Occhicone was killed via lethal injection at 6:13…
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Key points
- Florida executed two inmates on the same day for the first time since 1964.
- James Aren Duckett was executed for the 1987 murder of an 11-year-old girl.
- Dominick Occhicone became the oldest inmate executed in Florida’s history.
NewsWK — In a historic event for Florida, the state executed two inmates on the same day, a rarity not seen since 1964. The executions took place on Tuesday, with the first being James Aren Duckett, 68, who was put to death for the 1987 rape and murder of 11-year-old Teresa McAbee. According to the Florida Department of Corrections, Duckett was declared dead via lethal injection at 1:19 p.m.
Later that evening, Dominick Anthony Occhicone, 80, was executed, making him the oldest inmate executed in Florida’s modern history. Occhicone was convicted of murdering his ex-girlfriend’s parents in 1986 and was executed at 6:13 p.m. This execution also marked him as the second oldest man executed in U.S. history.
The executions were part of a larger trend, with Florida leading the nation in death row exonerations and having carried out a record number of executions in recent years. The Florida Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers expressed concern over this pattern, stating, “No matter where you stand on capital punishment, this should give every Floridian pause.”
Duckett’s execution was the 30th in Florida this year, while Occhicone’s was the 31st. Governor Ron DeSantis has also signed a death warrant for another inmate, William Silvia, scheduled for execution on August 18.
This article was produced with the assistance of AI and reviewed by our editorial team.
Based on reporting by Mitch Perry originally published by Florida Phoenix. Read the original story.
