TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Florida has carried out two executions on the same day, creating one of the most unusual developments in the U.S. death penalty system in recent years.

The state executed former police officer James Aren Duckett and Dominick Anthony Occhicone, an 80-year-old death-row prisoner. The executions were separated by several hours.

The double execution is particularly notable because same-day executions are extremely uncommon in the United States. According to AP, the last such occurrence nationally was in Arkansas in 2017, making Florida's action the first U.S. double execution in nearly a decade.

Occhicone's execution also drew attention because of his age. At 80, he became the oldest person executed in modern Florida history, adding another unusual element to an already closely watched day.

Duckett was convicted in connection with the 1987 rape and killing of an 11-year-old girl. Occhicone was convicted of killing his former girlfriend's parents in 1986. Both men had pursued final legal appeals before the executions proceeded.

Florida's increasing use of capital punishment has made the state a major focus of the national debate over the death penalty in America. The latest executions come amid broader questions about the fairness, transparency and administration of capital punishment.

The cases have also attracted attention from opponents of the death penalty, who argue that execution procedures and the possibility of wrongful convictions require greater scrutiny. Supporters of capital punishment maintain that it remains an appropriate punishment for the most serious crimes.

The rare double execution is likely to intensify that debate nationally. Florida's actions have once again placed the state's death penalty policy at the center of America's criminal justice discussion, particularly as other states continue to reconsider how and when capital punishment should be used.

For now, the Florida executions represent a significant moment in the country's modern death-penalty history and are likely to fuel further discussion over the future of capital punishment in the United States.