Florida is scheduled to carry out its first double execution of the modern death penalty era today, July 28, but campaigners and experts say the pace of the process could raise serious concerns.
James Duckett, 68, is due to be executed by lethal injection this afternoon, while Dominick Occhicone, 80, is set to face the same punishment roughly six hours later. If both executions go ahead, they would be Florida’s 11th and 12th executions of 2026, underscoring how quickly the state has moved compared with the rest of the country.
Although the United States still has roughly 2,000 people on death row, the latest national count from the Death Penalty Information Center put the number of active death sentences at 2,004 as of January 2026. Prisoners often spend between 15 and 22 years awaiting execution, largely because of multiple stages of legal appeals.
That also means scheduled executions can still be paused or stopped at the last minute through court action. But if both executions move forward as planned, critics argue the compressed timetable could create additional dangers.
“By rushing executions, Florida is increasing the chances that these and other men will suffer a torturous death,” Matt Wells, deputy director of human rights group Reprieve US, told the Guardian.
Reprieve has studied botched executions dating back to 1976 and says hurried scheduling has been a recurring factor in a number of cases.
“By rushing executions, Florida is increasing the chances that these and other men will suffer a torturous death,” Wells added to the outlet.
The last time two inmates were executed on the same day in the US was in Arkansas in April 2017. According to correctional records, Florida has not done so since May 12, 1964.
Records indicate the only other modern example came in Texas in 2000.
Florida has already carried out 10 executions this year. In 2025, the state recorded 19 executions, the highest total in its history, and analysts say 2026 could still end as another record-breaking year because another execution is already scheduled for August.
Maya Foa, CEO of Reprieve, told CNN the broader context in Florida makes the planned double execution especially notable.
“To add in that kind of pressure in Florida, where already there have been more executions in that one state alone than there have been in the rest of the US this year, it’s asking for more problems,” she told the outlet.
If his execution proceeds, Occhicone would become the oldest inmate ever executed in Florida. Only weeks ago, Dusty Ray Spencer, who killed his wife Karen Spencer in 1992, became the oldest person executed in the state’s history at 74, after being put to death on July 14, 2026.
Occhicone was sentenced to death in 1986 after being convicted of murdering his ex-girlfriend’s parents. Duckett was convicted in the 1987 killing of 11-year-old Teresa McAbee.
Death row psychologist Bill Kimberlin has also spoken about witnessing a botched execution.
“Most people think it’s like putting an animal down, but my very first execution lasted over two hours.
“The guy had to get off of the table to go to the restroom and then come back and hop back on because it was taking so long,” he added, stating that the EMTs ‘are not always successful’ in finding the veins of the inmates straight away, prolonging the time it takes.