Florida Supreme Court Halts Execution of Ex‑Officer as DNA Testing Proceeds

The Florida Supreme Court has issued a temporary stay of execution for former Mascotte police officer James Aren Duckett, 68, who was scheduled to be put to death by lethal injection Tuesday for the 1987 rape and murder of 11‑year‑old Teresa McAbee. Duckett, on death row since his 1988 conviction for first‑degree murder and sexual battery, obtained a lower‑court order for new DNA testing he says could exonerate him, and the justices ordered the state to report on the status of that testing by 5 p.m. Friday. Prosecutors at trial tied Duckett to McAbee through blood and hair evidence, matching patrol‑car tire tracks, and fingerprints from the hood of his cruiser, along with testimony from three teen girls who said he previously made sexual advances after giving them rides. The stay comes as Florida, under Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis, led the nation with 19 executions in 2025, the most by any Florida governor since the death penalty was reinstated in 1976, and as 47 people were executed nationwide last year. The case underscores longstanding concerns about the reliability of older forensic evidence and the risk of executing potentially innocent inmates before modern DNA testing is complete, a theme that has fueled growing scrutiny of capital punishment across the U.S.