Overview
- The governor signed a new death warrant on Tuesday evening that schedules Duckett’s execution for July 28 at Florida State Prison, the same day another long‑term inmate is set to be executed.
- The Florida Supreme Court lifted a prior stay to allow advanced testing and cleared the way for the warrant after the state lab’s analysis of semen and hair evidence returned inconclusive results.
- Duckett’s lawyers say the testing was rushed and that the state chose the lab and methods in ways that prevented a full, reliable evaluation that might have supported his long‑maintained claims of innocence.
- Defense teams and advocacy groups have filed last‑minute pleas for relief and clemency and argue that scheduling two executions on one day raises legal and logistical concerns for counsel and the prison system.
- The case is part of a broader 2026 push by Florida officials to carry out decades‑old death sentences for an aging death‑row population, which has prompted renewed scrutiny of post‑conviction review and forensic procedures.