In 1987, 11-year-old Teresa McAbee was raped and murdered.
Her family has lived with that loss for nearly four decades.
James Duckett was convicted of that crime on circumstantial evidence. As we write this, advanced DNA testing is being conducted on the last remaining biological evidence from her case using technology that did not exist at the time of his trial. The results are expected Friday.
James is scheduled to be executed on Tuesday, March 31 — just four days later.
If the testing identifies the person whose DNA was left behind, it could finally answer a question that has remained unresolved for decades: who killed Teresa McAbee.
But as things stand, the state is prepared to move forward with an execution before those results can be fully understood or acted on.
There are four possible outcomes:
- A match to Duckett
- No result
- Inconclusive
- A match to someone else
In the first three of those four scenarios, the execution is likely to proceed. That means Florida is willing to carry out an execution even if the evidence does not provide clear answers — or points in a different direction.
This should concern anyone who believes Teresa McAbee’s case deserves accuracy, not just finality. Her family deserves to know the truth about what happened to her. That requires time to follow the evidence wherever it leads. Executing someone before that process is complete risks closing the door on that truth permanently.
This case is bigger than any one person because it shows how the system operates when the stakes are highest and the answers are incomplete. If the state is willing to carry out an execution while critical evidence is still being tested — or even if the results are inconclusive — then certainty is no longer the standard. That is not a situation unique to this case. As technology continues to uncover new evidence in old convictions, this question will come up again: do we pause for the truth, or proceed on schedule? How Florida answers it here won’t stay here. It sets the standard for every case that follows.
We will know more on Friday. But the timeline leaves very little room to respond. We will continue to share updates as they become available. Be sure to follow us on Instagram, Facebook, or X for the most up-to-the-moment news.
Onward.
The FADP Team
P.S. Chadwick Willacy is still facing execution on April 21. Sign his petition here.