In a significant development, Florida is set to execute two inmates on the same day for the first time in nearly ten years. The executions, scheduled for Tuesday, involve a former police officer and an elderly prisoner, marking a rare occurrence in the state’s penal history.
Under the administration of Republican Governor Ron DeSantis, the state has seen an increase in the frequency of executions. Although the governor has not provided specific reasons for the unprecedented scheduling of two executions just six hours apart, the Florida Department of Corrections has not indicated any logistical hurdles.
James Aren Duckett, 68, will face execution by lethal injection at noon at Florida State Prison, followed by 80-year-old Dominick Anthony Occhicone. Upon execution, Occhicone will become the oldest inmate to be executed in Florida’s modern history.
The two men were convicted of separate crimes; Duckett for the 1987 rape and murder of an 11-year-old girl, and Occhicone for the 1986 double murder of his ex-girlfriend’s parents. If carried out, these executions will be the 11th and 12th for Florida this year.
Legal and Ethical Concerns
The Florida Supreme Court recently denied both men’s appeals. Duckett’s legal representatives argued his innocence, citing issues with DNA evidence handling, while Occhicone’s attorneys highlighted his health problems, suggesting that execution could impose undue suffering.
Both inmates have pending appeals before the U.S. Supreme Court.
Governor DeSantis, who is in his final term, has presided over a record number of executions, reaching 19 in 2025 alone, the most in a single year in Florida since the reinstatement of the death penalty in 1976. Should Tuesday’s executions proceed, the total will rise to 31, with another execution already set for August.
The governor signed the initial death warrant for Duckett in February, with the execution initially set for March 31. However, after a stay was granted for DNA testing, the Supreme Court allowed the execution to proceed when results were inconclusive. Occhicone’s execution was initially scheduled alone, but after Duckett’s stay was lifted, both were scheduled for the same day, an event not seen in Florida since 1964.
While it is not uncommon for different states to execute inmates on the same day, a single state doing so is rare. The last instance in the U.S. was in 2017 in Arkansas. Texas also executed two prisoners on the same day in 2000.
Floridians for Alternatives to the Death Penalty has called for a halt to these executions, with Executive Director Grace Hanna stating, “July 28 represents an unprecedented escalation of Florida’s use of the death penalty.”
Governor’s Perspective
The governor’s office has largely remained silent on the execution policy, but DeSantis has previously emphasized the importance of justice for victims’ families. “Justice delayed is justice denied,” DeSantis remarked at a press event in November 2025, asserting his responsibility to ensure executions proceed smoothly unless innocence is clearly established.
Occhicone, if executed, will be the second-oldest person executed in modern U.S. history, following 83-year-old Walter Moody Jr., executed in Alabama in 2018 for mail bombings. The aging death row population raises ethical questions about executing prisoners potentially nearing natural death.
Florida’s protocol involves a lethal injection composed of a sedative, a paralytic, and a drug to stop the heart.
