\u00a0Polk County Trap Boys gang members among 19 who plead guilty to state-wide bank fraud conspiracy\u00a0<\/a><\/p>\n DeSantis re-scheduled Duckett’s execution for noon on July 28 at Florida State Prison \u2014 just six hours before another convicted killer, Dominick Occhicone<\/a>, 80, is set to be put to death at the prison. Both will die by lethal injection.<\/p>\n Dominick Occhicone (left) and James Duckett (right) (Credit: Florida Department of Corrections)<\/p>\n If his execution goes forward, Occhicone will become the oldest person executed in modern state history. His attorneys have argued<\/a> that it is a “cruel and unusual punishment” for someone his age.<\/p>\n According to court documents, Occhicone, who is from Pasco County, was found guilty in the 1986 murders of Raymond and Martha Artzner, the parents of his former girlfriend. Records said Occhicone shot and killed the couple at their home after his former girlfriend refused to speak with him.<\/p>\n The girlfriend and her child managed to flee the home while Occhicone was breaking in.<\/p>\n Duckett, who is now 68, was convicted in 1988 of raping and killing 11-year-old\u00a0Teresa McAbee. Court records said Duckett took the 11-year-old to a lake, where he sexually battered, strangled and drowned her.<\/p>\n Investigators said they learned McAbee had been seen getting into Duckett’s patrol car less than a mile from the lake where her body was found. “Distinctive tire tracks” matching his patrol car were also found in the area, and McAbee’s fingerprints were discovered on the car’s hood.<\/p>\n Duckett had been scheduled to be put to death in March before the Florida Supreme Court ordered the Florida Department of Law Enforcement to provide DNA testing to his legal team. The results ultimately came back inconclusive<\/a> and his stay of execution was lifted.<\/p>\n Florida has been rapidly carrying out executions since last year when there was a record 19 inmates put to death in the state.<\/p>\n Dennis Sochor<\/a>, a 74-year-old inmate just a few years younger than Occhicone, was put to death on Tuesday, making him the oldest inmate executed in the state so far. Sochor was convicted of killing 18-year-old Patricia Gifford on Jan. 1, 1982, after meeting her at a New Year’s Eve party.<\/p>\n Sochor’s execution was the state’s 10th lethal injection this year. According to the Associated Press<\/a>, the 10 executions this year have accounted for more than half conducted in the nation. It’s unclear why the governor decided to schedule two on the same day.<\/p>\n Copyright 2026 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.<\/p>\n![\"Dominick](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/https:\/\/media.zenfs.com\/en\/wfla_article_174\/be7db632cf9116b811add2724fabc0fd.jpeg\"\/)
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