Nearly four decades after he was convicted of raping and murdering an 11-year-old, Gov. Ron DeSantis has set a new execution date for former Mascotte police officer James Duckett.
DeSantis signed a letter Monday designating July 28 as the date of execution at Florida State Prison. The move came after the Florida Supreme Court lifted a stay of execution on July 8, following inconclusive DNA test results that failed to exonerate Duckett.
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Duckett was convicted of first-degree murder and sexual battery on May 10, 1988, and sentenced to death on June 30, 1988. Teresa McAbee’s body was found in a lake near a convenience store where she was last seen getting into Duckett’s patrol car. Her fingerprints were found on the hood of the vehicle, according to court records.
DeSantis first signed a death warrant for Duckett on Feb. 27. The execution was paused after Duckett’s attorneys filed for DNA testing, claiming it would prove his innocence.
Michael Sheedy, executive director of the Florida Conference of Catholic Bishops, said at the time that testing was warranted given the stakes.
“The fact that they can test this now is really important. They should do so, with a person’s life at stake,” Sheedy said.
Duckett will be one of two men executed July 28. Dominick Occhiocone is also scheduled to die that day for the 1986 murders of his former fiancée’s parents.
Duckett would be the 11th person executed in Florida this year.