Florida executed two inmates by lethal injection on Tuesday, marking the state's first double execution in more than six decades and pushing the total number of executions carried out under outgoing Governor Ron DeSantis to new heights.

James Aren Duckett, 68, a former police officer convicted of raping and drowning an 11-year-old girl in 1987, was pronounced dead at 1:19 p.m. Dominick Anthony Occhicone, 80, convicted of killing his ex-girlfriend's parents in 1986, was pronounced dead at 6:13 p.m., according to state officials.

The double execution — the first in Florida since May 12, 1964 — came after DeSantis signed a new death warrant for Duckett and added him to Occhicone's already scheduled execution date, a move not seen in the state in more than 60 years. The last U.S. state to execute two inmates on the same day before Florida was Arkansas in April 2017.

DeSantis, who leaves office in January, oversaw a record 19 executions in 2025 — more in a single year than any other Florida governor since the death penalty was reinstated in 1976. The previous high was eight executions set in 2014. This year, before Tuesday, Florida had already carried out 10 executions, more than double the next most prolific state, Texas, with four. Nationwide, 19 executions have been carried out in 2026; Florida leads with 12, more than all other states combined.

Both men had their final appeals denied by the U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday. Duckett's attorneys had maintained his innocence, arguing that inconclusive DNA evidence should have exonerated him. Occhicone's attorneys argued that his age-related ailments could make execution especially painful, constituting cruel and unusual punishment. Judges allowed the jury verdict to stand in Duckett's case despite the inconclusive DNA results.

DeSantis said at a November 2025 news conference that he felt he owed it to victims' families to ensure executions ran smoothly, adding: 'If I honestly thought someone was innocent, I would not pull the trigger.' The governor's office has rarely commented on executions over the past 18 months.

Occhicone's final words were: 'I know it don’t mean much, but I’m sorry.' The children of his victims, Raymond and Martha Artzner, said in a statement: 'The years since June 10, 1986, have been filled with sleepless nights... Today does not erase that pain.'

Experts have warned that cramming more than one execution into a day carries considerable risks. Matt Wells, deputy director of Reprieve US, said public records show Florida has been violating its own execution protocols, using expired drugs and wrong doses, adding: 'An iron wall of secrecy compounded the problem.'