A man from Florida has made history as the oldest person to be executed in the state at the age of 80. Dominick Anthony Occhicone was put to death for the 1986 double murder of Raymond and Martha Artzner, the parents of his former girlfriend, Anita Gerrety.
Occhicone is the 12th individual to be executed in Florida in 2026 and the second on the same day. The crime took place almost 40 years ago when Occhicone visited his ex-girlfriend’s parents’ home in Pasco County in the early hours of June 10, 1986, seeking to reconcile. Despite leaving initially, he returned with lethal intentions.
He shot Raymond Artzner and then pursued Anita through the house before she managed to escape with her daughter. Martha Artzner was found dead later. Although Raymond identified Occhicone as the shooter before passing away, Occhicone claimed the shootings were not premeditated. However, a jury convicted him, leading to his time on death row.
After the Florida Supreme Court dismissed his final appeals, Occhicone was executed, becoming the oldest person executed in modern Florida history. His death occurred six hours after the execution of James Duckett, a former police officer convicted of the rape and murder of an 11-year-old girl in 1987. Duckett declined to make a final statement before his execution.
These dual executions mark the first such occurrence in Florida since 1964. Governor Ron DeSantis has increased the pace of executions in the state, emphasizing the need for justice for victims’ families. This surge in executions contrasts with the national decline in the use of the death penalty over the past two decades, with Florida accounting for nearly half of all state executions in the US since 2025.