A quick, important update:
James Duckett will not be executed tomorrow. Moments ago, the Florida Supreme Court
declined to lift the stay while the circuit (trial) court evaluates legal claims related to his recently completed DNA testing. The circuit court is required to give an update by Thursday, April 2, at 5pm.
This is a relief – and it is the result of persistent advocacy, legal work, and the dogged work of his attorneys and investigators. As we celebrate, we also remain clear eyed about what might happen next.
Because James Duckett’s warrant period lasts until next Tuesday, April 7, at 12pm, there is still a chance that the execution will go forward before then. It all depends on what happens in the lower court. We’ll keep you updated every step of the way.
Almost simultaneously with the FSC ruling, the Governor has just signed a new death warrant for James Ernest Hitchcock, setting his execution for Thursday, April 30 at 6pm. James Hitchcock was sentenced to death for the 1976 murder of Cynthia Driggers. We will have more to share about his case soon, but for now, sign his petition here:
We’ll be back with more in the next few days. For now, breathe a sigh of relief for Mr. Duckett and buckle your seatbelt – because the State of Florida has shown time and time again that not even the prospect of killing an innocent person will throw a wrench in their machinery of death.
We are tired of this. Tired of the way the State treats human lives like items on a schedule. Tired of how the Governor of Florida, unlike in every other executing state, is able to sign death warrants on a whim when there’s a need to shift public attention away from the news of the day. Tired of the callous disregard for our shared humanity. But we are not backing down. Every time they try to move quietly from one execution to the next, more people pay attention. More people speak up. And more people refuse to accept this as normal.
That’s where hope lives – not in what the State does, but in what we do next.
Stay with us.
Onward,
The FADP Team
