Florida carried out two executions within hours of each other on July 28, marking the state’s first double execution in more than six decades. The lethal injections took place at Florida State Prison in north-central Florida, amid a significant rise in the pace of capital punishment during Governor Ron DeSantis’s administration.

James Duckett, 68, a former police officer convicted in 1987 of the kidnapping, sexual assault, and murder of 11-year-old Teresa Mae McAbee, was pronounced dead at 1:19 p.m. Eastern Time. Hours later, at 6:13 p.m., Dominick Occhicone, 80, was executed for the 1986 murders of his ex-fiancée’s parents. Occhicone is one of the oldest inmates executed in U.S. history and the oldest in Florida. Both men had exhausted last-minute appeals seeking to halt their executions; the U.S. Supreme Court declined to intervene without providing detailed reasoning.

The dual executions reflect a broader surge in capital punishment activity in Florida, which has accounted for more than half of all executions in the United States this year. These were the 11th and 12th executions in Florida in 2025, with at least one more scheduled. Since 2024, the national number of executions nearly doubled, largely driven by Florida’s accelerated timetable, following legislative changes and policy push by Governor DeSantis to expand the use of the death penalty.

The last time Florida executed two inmates on the same day was in 1964, when the state used the electric chair. Nationwide, double executions have occurred only 11 times since the death penalty was reinstated in 1976, with the most recent before this being in Arkansas in 2017.

Proponents of the executions, including state prosecutors, cited delivering justice and closure for victims’ families. Teresa McAbee’s mother expressed relief that the execution of Duckett was carried out, emphasizing that the focus was on justice for her daughter after decades of waiting. Similarly, family members of Occhicone’s victims spoke of the conclusion of a painful chapter.

However, opponents and advocacy groups raised concerns about the practice of carrying out multiple executions in a single day. Critics warned that back-to-back executions increase the risk of procedural errors and pose emotional and psychological challenges to prison staff. Some also questioned the moral implications of executing elderly inmates, as Occhicone was 80 years old at the time of his death. Further, detractors accused Governor DeSantis of politicizing the death penalty, particularly in light of the upcoming 2028 presidential election, while the governor and his administration defended the approach as a commitment to justice for victims rather than a political maneuver.

The executions drew no public dissents from the Supreme Court when it denied the last appeals. Florida continues to lead the nation in the number of executions carried out this year, highlighting a marked shift in capital punishment policy and practice under current state leadership.