The Florida Supreme Court has temporarily halted the execution of James Aren Duckett, a former police officer convicted of raping and murdering an 11-year-old girl in 1987. The stay was issued Thursday, delaying Duckett's scheduled execution by lethal injection at Florida State Prison near Starke.
Duckett, now 68, was sentenced to death in 1988 after being found guilty of first-degree murder and sexual battery. The court granted his request for DNA testing, which he argued could exonerate him. A circuit court approved the testing, but results are still pending. The Florida Supreme Court ordered the state to address the status of the DNA testing by 5 p.m. Friday.
If the stay is not lifted by Tuesday, the execution timeline remains uncertain. This case marks the latest in a series of executions overseen by Republican Governor Ron DeSantis, who has presided over a record 19 executions in 2025—the most in a single year since Florida reinstated the death penalty in 1976.
According to court records, Duckett was on patrol the night of May 11, 1987, when 11-year-old Teresa McAbee disappeared. She was last seen entering his patrol car at a convenience store. McAbee's body was found the next morning in a nearby lake. A medical examiner determined she had been sexually assaulted and drowned. Blood, hair, and fingerprints linked her to Duckett, and tire tracks at the lake matched those of Mascotte patrol cars.
Three teenage girls testified at trial that Duckett had previously given them rides and made sexual advances. The case has drawn attention due to the high-profile nature of the crime and the defendant's former role as a law enforcement officer.