Duckett was sentenced to death in 1988 after being convicted of first-degree murder and sexual battery in the 1987 killing of 11-year-old Teresa McAbee. He was on patrol the night of May 11, 1987, when McAbee disappeared; she was last seen getting into his patrol car at a convenience store. Her body was found in a lake the next morning less than a mile away from the store, and a medical examiner determined she was sexually assaulted and then drowned.
At trial, evidence included blood and hair linking McAbee to Duckett, distinct tire tracks at the lake that matched Mascotte patrol cars, and fingerprints from both Duckett and McAbee on the hood of Duckett's car. Three teen girls testified that Duckett had previously given rides to each of them and made sexual advances. The stay comes amid a high execution rate in Florida under Governor Ron DeSantis, who oversaw a record 19 executions in 2025, more than any other Florida governor since the death penalty was reinstated in 1976.
The previous record was eight executions in 2014. S. in 2025 with 47 total executions nationwide, while Alabama, South Carolina and Texas tied for second with five each.
If the stay isn't lifted by Tuesday, it's not clear when the execution would take place, if at all. The specific results from the pending DNA testing and its exact timeline remain unknown, as does whether the court will lift the stay by Tuesday.