Florida executes first of two men in rare double execution on single day
The state’s 30th execution this year comes as Gov. Ron DeSantis pushes Florida to carry out more death sentences than any other state.
- On Tuesday, July 28, 2026, Florida executed James Aren Duckett, 68, by lethal injection at Florida State Prison, pronouncing him dead at 1:19 p.m. as the first of two inmates scheduled for execution that day.
- This marked Florida's first double execution since 1964 after Gov. Ron DeSantis added Duckett to the execution date for Dominick Anthony Occhicone following the Florida Supreme Court's removal of a stay on July 8.
- Scheduled for 6 p.m. Tuesday, Occhicone faces execution for a 1986 murder, with critics arguing his age and ailments—including kidney and prostate problems—raise humanitarian concerns about the state's aggressive capital punishment strategy.
- Floridians for Alternatives to the Death Penalty executive director Grace Hanna stated the governor is "increasingly treating executions as routine instruments of political power," citing political ambition ahead of the 2028 presidential election.
- According to USA TODAY analysis, Florida has carried out 46% of all U.S. executions since January 2025 under DeSantis. The state executed 71% of 24 inmates aged at least 62 since 2025, reflecting aggressive focus on aging death-row inmates.
57 Articles
57 Articles
Florida carries out first double execution in six decades as US death toll mounts
Florida on Tuesday carried out its first double execution in more than 60 years. The pairing of the two executions, ordered six hours apart by Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis, is itself a marker of the pace at which the state has been killing its prisoners.
For almost a decade, no U.S. state has carried out two executions in one day. Florida has now broken this mark – under the orders of Governor Ron DeSantis.
Red state notches dubious record as governor pushes for families to 'see justice'
A red state notched a dubious record on Tuesday after its governor pushed for more families to finally "see justice."The Guardian reported that Florida executed two death-row inmates Tuesday, making it the first state in a decade to execute more than one person on a single day. Florida executed an 80-year-old named Dominick Anthony Occhicone by lethal injection, making him the oldest inmate to die under such circumstances, and ex-police officer …
Florida Carries Out Rare Double Execution of Death-Row Prisoners
Florida executed a man convicted of raping and murdering a child and another man convicted of a double murder on Tuesday, marking the first time a state has carried out two executions on the same day since 2017. The Sunshine State has ramped up death sentences under Gov. Ron DeSantis, setting a record pace in the United States with 19 executions in 2025 and 12 so far in 2026 with the two men, James Duckett and Dominick Occhicone, put to death b…
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