An 80-year-old man from Florida has set a record as the oldest individual to be executed in the state’s history through a lethal injection. Dominick Anthony Occhicone was put to death for the 1986 double murder of Raymond and Martha Artzner, who were the parents of his former girlfriend, Anita Gerrety.
This execution marks the 12th in the state for the year 2026 and the second within a single day in Florida. Nearly forty years after the gruesome crime, Occhicone’s sentence was carried out following the unanimous rejection of his final appeals by the Florida Supreme Court earlier in the week.
In June 1986, Occhicone arrived at his ex-girlfriend’s parents’ home in Pasco County, attempting to reconcile their relationship. Subsequently, he returned with lethal intentions, shooting Anita’s father and causing the death of her mother. Despite his claims that the shootings were not premeditated, a jury found him guilty, leading to his placement on death row.
Occhicone’s execution, making him the oldest person to be executed in modern Florida history and the second-oldest in the US after Walter Moody in 2018, occurred six hours after the execution of 68-year-old James Duckett. Duckett, a former police officer, was executed by lethal injection for the rape and murder of 11-year-old Teresa McAbee in 1987.
The double executions on the same day marked a significant event for Florida, not seen since 1964. Governor Ron DeSantis has notably increased the pace of executions in the state, emphasizing the need for justice for affected families. This surge in executions has contributed to Florida accounting for a significant portion of state executions nationwide since 2025.