STARKE, Fla. — State corrections officials in Florida executed two death row prisoners on Tuesday, July 28, 2026, marking the first time in 62 years that the state has carried out a double execution on a single day.
James Aren Duckett, 68, a former Mascotte police officer convicted in the 1987 kidnapping, rape, and murder of an 11-year-old girl, was pronounced dead by lethal injection at 1:19 p.m. at Florida State Prison. Just under six hours later, 80-year-old Dominick Anthony Occhicone Jr., condemned for the 1986 double murder of his ex-girlfriend's parents in Pasco County, was executed at 6:13 p.m.
The back-to-back executions represent the 11th and 12th capital sentences carried out in Florida this year. The rare procedure required state corrections staff to coordinate two distinct execution protocols on the same afternoon following the dismissal of final legal appeals by the U.S. Supreme Court.
Case Details: The 1987 Abduction and Murder of Teresa Mae McAbee
The day’s first execution concluded a 39-year legal process surrounding the death of 11-year-old Teresa Mae McAbee. On the night of May 11, 1987, the young girl left her home to walk to a nearby Circle K convenience store in Mascotte, Florida, to purchase a pencil for her schoolwork.
Prosecutors established that Duckett, who was the sole police officer on duty in the small Lake County municipality that night, abducted the girl during her trip home. Her body was discovered submerged in a nearby lake the following morning; forensic examinations revealed she had been sexually assaulted and strangled before being placed in the water.
Investigators linked Duckett to the crime through vehicle tire impressions matching his patrol car, palm prints on his cruiser, and physical evidence recovered at the scene. Though Duckett maintained his innocence throughout his trial and decades of post-conviction appeals—including a temporary stay granted earlier in 2026 for additional DNA testing—a jury convicted him of capital murder, recommending the death penalty by an 8–4 vote.
Duckett offered no final statement before the lethal injection procedure commenced. Observing from behind the witness glass, the victim’s mother expressed relief that the long legal saga had finally ended.
"I've waited nearly 40 years to have him dead," said Dorothy Tula, mother of Teresa Mae McAbee, speaking at a news conference following the execution while overcome with emotion.
Case Details: The 1986 Pasco County Double Homicide
The second execution involved Dominick Anthony Occhicone Jr., who at age 80 became the oldest inmate executed in modern Florida history. Occhicone was condemned for the June 10, 1986, fatal shootings of Raymond Artzner, 66, and Martha Artzner, 62, in Holiday, Florida.
Court records show that Occhicone harbored intense resentment toward the elderly couple, blaming them for the end of his three-year relationship with their daughter, Anita Gerrety. On the night of the crime, Occhicone severed the phone lines to the Artzner residence before entering the home armed with a handgun. He shot Raymond Artzner in the face before shooting Martha Artzner four times, fatally wounding both victims.
During his 1987 trial, defense attorneys argued that severe alcohol dependency and diminished capacity impaired Occhicone's ability to form premeditated intent. However, prosecutors successfully demonstrated that his actions were planned and deliberate. A jury convicted Occhicone on two counts of first-degree murder, resulting in a death sentence for the murder of Martha Artzner and a concurrent life sentence for the murder of Raymond Artzner.
Unlike Duckett, Occhicone chose to deliver a final statement from the execution gurney, expressing remorse to his family and the victims' surviving relatives.
"I know it don't mean much, but I'm sorry," Occhicone stated shortly before the procedure began. "I never meant to do what I did."
Historical Context and Broader Capital Punishment Trends
Tuesday's dual executions signify a major milestone in Florida's judicial history. The last instance of Florida executing multiple prisoners on the same day occurred in May 1964, prior to the U.S. Supreme Court's temporary nationwide moratorium on capital punishment established in the 1972 Furman v. Georgia ruling.
The state resumed executions in 1979, but administrative and scheduling logistics have historically kept execution dates strictly separated. Legal scholars and policy analysts attribute the accelerated schedule to broader administrative pushes within the Florida Department of Corrections to resolve long-standing death row dockets.
"Carrying out two executions in a single afternoon requires exceptional operational coordination between prison administrators, medical staff, legal teams, and law enforcement," noted a spokesperson for the Florida Department of Corrections during a press briefing. "Both procedures were conducted smoothly and strictly in accordance with state protocol and statutory mandates."
While victim advocacy groups welcomed the completion of the sentences as a necessary step toward justice, defense organizations and capital punishment opponents pointed to the historical anomaly as evidence of a shifting policy landscape surrounding state executions.
What's Next: Dockets and Judicial Outlook
Following the completion of Tuesday's procedures, state legal officials are expected to proceed with scheduled review hearings for remaining death row cases. With 12 executions completed in 2026, Florida continues to lead the nation in capital punishment warrants issued and executed this year.
The Florida Supreme Court and the Department of Corrections are reviewing scheduling protocols for upcoming warrants expected later in the year, as state authorities maintain an active pace in clearing backlogged post-conviction appeals.