An 80-year-old man from Florida has made history as the oldest person to be executed in the state. Dominick Anthony Occhicone was put to death for the 1986 double murder of Raymond and Martha Artzner, the parents of his ex-girlfriend, Anita Gerrety.
Occhicone is the 12th person to be executed in Florida in 2026 and the second on the same day. The brutal crime took place almost four decades ago when Occhicone went to his ex-girlfriend’s parents’ home in Pasco County in the early hours of June 10, 1986, seeking to reconcile. When his advances were rejected, he returned with lethal intentions.
He shot Anita’s father, Raymond, and then pursued Anita through the house, but she managed to escape with her daughter. Martha Artzner was tragically killed during the incident. Raymond Artzner identified Occhicone as the shooter before passing away in the hospital.
After numerous appeals, Occhicone’s execution was carried out following the Florida Supreme Court’s unanimous rejection of his final appeals. He now holds the record as the oldest person executed in modern Florida history and the second-oldest in the US, following the 2018 execution of Walter Moody at age 83.
On the same day, James Duckett, a former policeman, was also executed for the rape and murder of 11-year-old Teresa McAbee in 1987. He was the 11th inmate executed in Florida in 2026. Duckett chose not to make a final statement before his execution.
Florida’s governor, Ron DeSantis, has increased the pace of executions in the state, making it the busiest death chamber in the US. This double execution day marks a significant event in Florida’s history, being the first since 1964.
