The Florida Supreme Court has cleared the way for the state’s first same-day double execution in over 60 years. Dominick A. Occhicone and James Aren Duckett are scheduled to die by lethal injection on July 28 at Florida State Prison.
Background of the Cases
Duckett, 68, a former Mascotte police officer, was convicted in the 1988 rape and murder of 11-year-old Teresa McAbee. His execution is set for noon. The court denied Duckett’s sixth successive motion for postconviction relief and his request for additional DNA testing.
Occhicone, 80, was sentenced to death for the 1986 murder of his former fiancée’s mother, Martha Artzner, in Pasco County. The court rejected Occhicone’s final appeals and stay requests earlier in the week.
If executed, Occhicone will become the oldest person executed in Florida’s modern history, surpassing 74-year-old Dennis Sochor, who was executed earlier this month for a 1982 murder.
Original reporting: Tampa Free Press — read the source article.
