31 March 2026 :
March 31, 2026 - Florida. The execution of James Aren Duckett remains indefinitely stayed.
Originally scheduled for 31 March
On 26 March 2026, the Florida Supreme Court had stayed Duckett’s execution pending the completion of additional DNA analyses, requested by the defence, on certain pieces of evidence.
The results of these analyses were released on 27 March 2026 and proved inconclusive. In light of these results, the Deputy Director of the Forensic Sciences Division at the Florida Department of Law Enforcement recommended further analysis. However, Attorney General James Uthmeier filed a motion with the Florida Supreme Court to lift the stay of execution. He argued that 'the tests had been completed and the results did not exonerate Duckett of the murder of Teresa McAbee'. Duckett’s defence team opposed the motion, filing a request to allow the additional tests recommended by the state’s expert to be carried out.
On 30 March, the Florida Supreme Court rejected the prosecution's request to lift the stay, ordering a district judge to analyse the DNA test results and submit a report by 2 April 2026.
