Clouds hover over the entrance of the Florida State Prison in Starke, Fla., Aug. 3, 2023. (AP Photo/Curt Anderson, File)

STARKE, Fla. (AP) The execution of a former Florida police officer convicted of raping and murdering an 11-year-old girl was temporarily halted Thursday by the Florida Supreme Court.

The court issued a stay in execution for 68-year-old James Aren Duckett, who was scheduled to receive a three-drug injection Tuesday at Florida State Prison near Starke. Duckett was sentenced to death in 1988 after being convicted of first-degree murder and sexual battery.

As part of his appeals process, Duckett had sought DNA testing that he argued could exonerate him. A circuit court granted that request, and the testing is still pending. The Florida Supreme Court also ordered the state to address the status of the DNA testing by 5 p.m. Friday.

If the stay isnt lifted by Tuesday, its not clear when the execution would take place, if at all.

With a record 19 executions last year , Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis oversaw more executions in a single year in 2025 than any other Florida governor since the death penalty was reinstated in 1976. The previous record was set in 2014 with eight executions.

According to court records, Duckett had worked as a police officer in Mascotte, a small city west of Orlando. He was on patrol the night of May 11, 1987, when 11-year-old Teresa McAbee disappeared. She was last seen getting into Ducketts patrol car at a convenience store.

McAbees body was found in a lake the next morning less than a mile away from the store, officials said. A medical examiner determined she was sexually assaulted and then drowned. Blood and hair linked her to Duckett. Distinct tire tracks found at the lake matched the tires on Mascotte patrol cars. Duckett and McAbees fingerprints were found on the hood of Ducketts car.

Three teen girls testified at trial that Duckett had previously given rides to each of them and had made sexual advances.

A total of 47 people were executed in the U.S. in 2025. Florida led the way with a flurry of death warrants signed by DeSantis. Alabama, South Carolina and Texas tied for second with five executions each.

All Florida executions are carried out via lethal injection using a sedative, a paralytic and a drug that stops the heart, according to the Department of Corrections.

美联社佛罗里达州斯塔克电——佛罗里达州最高法院周四（10日）暂缓执行一名前警官的死刑判决，该警官因强奸并谋杀一名11岁女童被定罪。

法院对68岁的詹姆斯·阿伦·达克特（James Aren Duckett）下达了暂缓执行令。他原定于周二在斯塔克附近的佛罗里达州立监狱接受三针药物注射死刑。达克特因一级谋杀和性侵罪名于1988年被判处死刑。

在上诉过程中，达克特（Duckett）曾申请进行DNA检测，并主张该检测可能证明其清白。巡回法院批准了这一请求，但检测结果至今尚未出炉。佛罗里达州最高法院还命令州政府须于周五下午5点前就DNA检测进展作出说明。

若暂缓令未能在周二前解除，尚不确定处决是否会执行，即便执行具体时间亦不明确。

共和党州长罗恩·德桑蒂斯去年创下执行19次死刑的纪录，这是自1976年恢复死刑以来，佛罗里达州州长在一年内监督执行死刑数量最多的一次。此前的纪录是2014年执行的8次死刑。

法庭记录显示，达克特（Duckett）曾担任奥兰多西部小城马斯考特（Mascotte）的警察。1987年5月11日晚，他在巡逻期间，11岁的特蕾莎·麦卡比（Teresa McAbee）失踪。监控最后拍到她在一家便利店走进了达克特的巡逻车。

官方称，次日清晨，麦卡比的尸体在距离商店不到一英里的湖中被发现。法医鉴定显示，她曾遭受性侵后溺水身亡。现场发现的血液和毛发将她与达克特联系起来。湖边的独特轮胎痕迹与马斯科特巡逻车的轮胎相符。达克特和麦卡比的指纹在达克特汽车的引擎盖上被发现。

三名少女在庭审中作证称，达克特曾分别驾车搭载她们，并对她们进行性骚扰。

2025年，美国共有47人被处决。佛罗里达州以州长德桑蒂斯签署的大量死刑执行令位居首位，亚拉巴马州、南卡罗来纳州和得克萨斯州并列第二，各执行了5例死刑。

根据佛罗里达州惩教署规定，该州所有死刑均通过注射致命药物执行，所用药物包括镇静剂、肌肉松弛剂和心脏停止剂。