Gov. Ron DeSantis has signed a death warrant for Dominick Occhicone, an 80-year-old Pasco County man convicted in 1986 of killing his former girlfriend’s parents, putting Florida on track for a stark milestone. After decades of appeals and collateral challenges on death row, Occhicone could become the oldest person executed in the state’s modern records if the sentence is carried out.
The Tampa Bay Times reports that DeSantis signed the warrant on June 26. According to Florida Supreme Court opinions and related records, Occhicone was convicted for the June 10, 1986 shootings that killed the parents of his ex-girlfriend, and a jury recommended the death penalty by a 7-to-5 vote. High court documents detail the conviction, the sentencing, and years of challenges that followed.
The warrant came just one day after another death row inmate, 74-year-old Dusty Ray Spencer, was executed on June 25 and became the oldest person put to death in modern Florida history, according to The Associated Press. AP coverage notes that Florida has moved through an accelerated schedule of executions in recent months, a pace that has drawn renewed calls from faith leaders and advocates who are pushing for stays and closer review of capital cases.
What a signed death warrant triggers
Once a governor signs a death warrant in Florida, the clock starts ticking fast. Under state postconviction rules, courts are required to expedite capital proceedings: hearings get priority, and any motions filed after the warrant are usually treated as successive and handled on a compressed calendar, according to the Florida Supreme Court. Defense attorneys typically respond with emergency filings and stay requests, and the high court can step in if it decides more time is needed to sort out remaining legal claims.
Case history and appeals
Occhicone’s case has been moving through state and federal courts for decades. Records show he was convicted for the 1986 killings and has repeatedly sought relief in state postconviction proceedings and in federal court, including filings that reached the Florida Supreme Court in recent years, according to public dockets and opinions. Those documents describe a long-running, heavily litigated capital case that now faces sharply accelerated deadlines unless a court intervenes to block the warrant.
With the warrant now signed, Occhicone’s lawyers are expected to pursue any remaining avenues for relief while seeking stays of execution as the state prepares its next steps. Under the court rules and recent opinions governing death penalty cases in Florida, those filings will be handled on an expedited timetable. We will be watching court dockets and local notices for any developments.
