Florida became the first state in nearly ten years to execute two inmates in a single day. An 80-year-old man was executed as the second-oldest inmate to receive a lethal injection in modern U.S. history. Earlier, a former police officer was put to death for killing a young girl.
Busy Execution Schedule in Florida
Governor Ron DeSantis has intensified the execution schedule in Florida as his final term ends. He stated that many families have waited too long for justice. The executions, conducted just hours apart, were the first of their kind since Arkansas executed two men three hours apart in 2017. DeSantis, who has the authority under Florida law to set execution dates, decided to conduct both executions on the same day earlier this month.
Increased Use of Death Penalty
Across the nation, the use of the death penalty has decreased over the last two decades. However, Florida has seen an increase. Since 2025, the state has carried out nearly half of all state executions in the country.
Dominick Anthony Occhicone, 80, was executed at 6:13 p.m. after a three-drug injection. His execution followed the earlier execution of James Aren Duckett, a former police officer convicted of killing a young girl.
Occhicone, convicted of murdering his ex-girlfriend’s parents in 1986, is the oldest inmate executed in Florida’s history. Nationwide, he ranks behind Walter Moody Jr., who was executed in Alabama at 83 in 2018.
Executions in Florida
Earlier in the day, Duckett was executed for his crime committed in 1987. He was pronounced dead at 1:19 p.m. His victim’s family expressed relief after decades of suffering.
Governor DeSantis has overseen a record number of executions during his tenure. Last year alone, Florida conducted 19 executions, setting a record for the state since 1976 when the death penalty was reinstated in the U.S.
Opposition and Future Executions
The group Floridians for Alternatives to the Death Penalty criticized the two executions in one day as an “unprecedented escalation.” They argue that this is not the will of Floridians.
Despite criticism, another execution is scheduled in Florida for August. DeSantis has not commented on the executions being close together but has pointed out the long wait for justice.
Records show the last time Florida had multiple executions on a single day was in 1964. Both the U.S. Supreme Court and the Florida Supreme Court denied last-minute appeals from the two men executed.