An 80-year-old man is set to be executed, making him the second-oldest individual to face capital punishment in recent US history. Dominick Anthony Occhicone is poised to become the oldest person executed in Florida and the second oldest in the nation. The state of Florida has been actively carrying out executions, with 17 completed so far this year, surpassing the combined total of executions in all other states.
Occhicone, convicted of murdering the parents of his ex-girlfriend Anita Gerrity in 1986, is scheduled to receive a lethal injection at 6pm local time today, pending any unforeseen developments. Despite his legal team’s efforts to appeal to the US Supreme Court, the appeal was denied by Florida’s Supreme Court last week. They argued that Occhicone’s age-related health issues, including kidney and prostate problems, would amplify the pain of his execution, potentially constituting cruel and unusual punishment under the state’s constitution.
Florida prison authorities have expressed confidence in their preparedness to carry out Occhicone’s execution, which typically involves a sedative, a paralytic, and a heart-stopping drug. If the execution proceeds as planned, Occhicone will become the oldest inmate to be executed in the state, following two 74-year-old men who briefly held that distinction.
Furthermore, Occhicone will become the second-oldest prisoner to be executed in modern US history, trailing behind 83-year-old Walter Moody Jr, who was executed in Alabama in 2018. Occhicone spent 40 years on death row and is the sole surviving member of his immediate family, who previously noted his escalating rage following his murder conviction.
In a tragic turn of events in 1986, Occhicone threatened Anita Gerrity and her family before fatally shooting her parents, Raymond and Martha Artzner. Despite Gerrity’s refusal to engage with Occhicone, he callously murdered her father in her presence. He then proceeded to pursue Gerrity and her daughter, ultimately killing Martha Artzner before being apprehended on the same day and subsequently sentenced to death.
The decision to execute Occhicone has been criticized by Floridians For Alternatives to the Death Penalty, citing his age and health issues as reasons to oppose his capital punishment. The executive director of the organization, Grace Hannah, condemned the execution as cruel and unusual, emphasizing the advanced age and health challenges of the condemned individual.
