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Former Florida Cop James Duckett Set for Execution in 1987 Murder of 11-Year-Old Girl
James Duckett was convicted of first-degree murder and sexual battery in the 1987 killing of 11-year-old Teresa McAbee, with no stays of execution granted by courts.
- Gov. Ron DeSantis signed a death warrant for James Aren Duckett, scheduling his execution at Florida State Prison on March 31.
- Authorities tied the crime scene evidence—including McAbee's fingerprints on the hood of Duckett's patrol car and tire tracks—to Duckett, with her body found less than a mile away.
- At trial, jurors convicted Duckett of first-degree murder and sexual battery, with an eight-to-four recommendation for death, and he was sentenced on June 30, 1988; the Florida Supreme Court affirmed the conviction and sentence after decades of appeals.
- Florida's rapid execution schedule has produced multiple death warrants this year, with Duckett set to be the fifth execution and 250 inmates on Death Row population, Florida.
- Advocates are calling for a stay as legal experts flag procedural and drug-protocol concerns, and Duckett has until March 13 to file an appeal amid decades of litigation.
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DeSantis Signs Ex-Cop James Duckett's Death Warrant for 1987 Murder of Teresa McAbee, 11
Governor Ron DeSantis signed a death warrant for James Aren Duckett, a former Mascotte police officer convicted of the 1987 rape and murder of 11-year-old Teresa McAbee. Duckett, 68, is scheduled to be killed by lethal injection on March 31 at Florida State Prison. This is the fifth warrant the governor signed this year follows a record-breaking 19 executions carried out in Florida in 2025. The post DeSantis Signs Ex-Cop James Duckett’s Death Wa…
Coverage Details
Total News Sources14
Leaning Left2Leaning Right1Center9Last UpdatedBias Distribution75% Center
Bias Distribution
- 75% of the sources are Center
75% Center
L 17%
C 75%
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