January 1, Execution Stay Lingers as Court Scrutinizes Questionable Evidence Dust-Up

Wyatt’s Take

• Justice remains delayed for an 11-year-old girl murdered in 1987.
• The Florida Supreme Court blocked the execution despite inconclusive DNA results.
• Evidence from the original trial included fingerprints and matching tire tracks.

The justice system is stalling again for a man convicted of a truly horrific crime against a child.

While DNA testing remains a tool for truth, we cannot ignore the mountain of evidence that put this former officer on death row decades ago.

James Duckett was a Mascotte police officer when he allegedly targeted 11-year-old Teresa McAbee.

The young girl went to a convenience store one night and never returned home to her family.

Reports indicate Duckett was the last person seen with the girl after placing her in his patrol car.

Her body was discovered the next morning in a nearby lake where she had been strangled and drowned.

The 11-year-old reportedly went to the convenience store that night, but never made it home.

Original evidence included fingerprints from both the victim and Duckett found on his patrol car hood.

Tire tracks at the crime scene also reportedly matched the specific tires used by the local police department.

Duckett also had a mysterious one-hour gap in his radio logs during the time of the murder.

A recent DNA test of biological material from the victim came back inconclusive rather than clearing the convict.

The Florida Attorney General asked to move forward with the execution, but the high court refused.

Six of the seven justices decided to keep the stay in place to allow for more lower court reviews.

Wyatt Matters

Middle America believes in law and order, which means seeing justice served for the most vulnerable among us. When a person in a position of trust commits such a heinous act, the delay in final punishment feels like a second blow to the victim’s memory and the community’s safety.

Full Story Here