Florida Supreme Court Halts Execution of Former Police Officer in Child Murder Case
The Florida Supreme Court has issued a temporary stay of execution for James Aren Duckett, a 68-year-old former police officer convicted of the 1987 rape and murder of an 11-year-old girl. Duckett was scheduled to receive a lethal injection on Tuesday at Florida State Prison near Starke, but the court intervened pending further developments in his long-running appeals process.
Decades-Long Case and DNA Testing Request
Duckett was sentenced to death in 1988 after being found guilty of first-degree murder and sexual battery in the killing of Teresa McAbee. As part of his ongoing appeals, he has sought DNA testing that he claims could potentially prove his innocence. A circuit court granted this request, and the testing remains pending.
The Florida Supreme Court has now ordered the state to provide a status update on the DNA testing by 5 p.m. on Friday. Should the stay not be lifted by Tuesday, the future timing of the execution becomes uncertain, adding another chapter to this nearly four-decade-old case.
Background of the Crime and Conviction
According to court records, Duckett worked as a police officer in Mascotte, a small city west of Orlando. On the night of May 11, 1987, while on patrol, 11-year-old Teresa McAbee disappeared after being last seen getting into Duckett's patrol car at a convenience store.
Her body was discovered in a lake the following morning less than a mile from the store. A medical examiner determined she had been sexually assaulted before drowning. Substantial physical evidence linked Duckett to the crime:
- Blood and hair evidence connected McAbee to Duckett
- Distinct tire tracks at the lake matched Mascotte patrol car tires
- Both Duckett's and McAbee's fingerprints were found on the hood of Duckett's vehicle
During the trial, three teenage girls testified that Duckett had previously given them rides and made sexual advances, establishing a pattern of behavior.
Florida's Execution Record Under Governor DeSantis
The stay comes amid heightened attention to Florida's use of the death penalty. In 2025, Republican Governor Ron DeSantis oversaw a record 19 executions—more than any other Florida governor since the death penalty was reinstated in 1976. The previous record of eight executions was set in 2014.
Florida led the nation in executions in 2025 with 19, while Alabama, South Carolina and Texas tied for second with five executions each. Nationwide, 47 people were executed in the United States last year.
Execution Protocol and Next Steps
All Florida executions are carried out via lethal injection using a three-drug protocol: a sedative, a paralytic agent, and a drug that stops the heart, according to the Department of Corrections.
The court's intervention now places the focus on the DNA testing process. If the stay is not lifted by Tuesday, the execution will be postponed indefinitely until the DNA evidence is fully examined and the court makes further determinations about its potential impact on the case.
