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Occhicone's attorneys had argued that several age-related ailments, including kidney and prostate problems, could make his execution especially painful, constituting cruel and unusual punishment.
DeSantis hasn't said why he scheduled two executions six hours apart. A Florida prison official said Tuesday morning that the department was confident in its readiness to carry out both executions. All Florida executions are by injection of a sedative, a paralytic and a drug that stops the heart, according to the Department of Corrections.