A 68-year-old former police officer has been executed in Florida for the rape and murder of 11-year-old Teresa McAbee in 1987. James Aren Duckett received a lethal injection at the Florida state prison near Starke. Duckett, the 11th inmate executed by the state in 2026, chose not to provide a final statement before his death.
Shortly after the injection, prison officials attempted to rouse Duckett, but he did not respond. His execution coincided with the impending execution of 80-year-old Dominick Anthony Occhicone, marking a rare occurrence of two executions on the same day in nearly a decade.
Governor Ron DeSantis of Florida, a Republican, has increased the pace of executions in the state as he nears the end of his final term. DeSantis emphasized the need for justice for families who have long awaited closure. Florida’s execution rate has contributed significantly to the national increase in executions, with the state accounting for almost half of all executions in the US since 2025.
