The execution of a former Florida police officer, convicted of raping and murdering an 11-year-old girl, has been temporarily halted by the state's Supreme Court. James Aren Duckett, 68, was scheduled to receive a three-drug injection on Tuesday at Florida State Prison near Starke.
Duckett was sentenced to death in 1988 after being found guilty of first-degree murder and sexual battery. As part of his appeals process, he had sought DNA testing, arguing it could prove his innocence. A circuit court granted this request, and the testing is still pending.
