Ex-Cop James Duckett Executed at 68 for 1987 Girl's Murder as 2nd Family Claims Closure
Updated
Updated · Fox News · Aug 15
Ex-Cop James Duckett Executed at 68 for 1987 Girl's Murder as 2nd Family Claims Closure
3 articles · Updated · Fox News · Aug 15
Summary
July 28 brought James Duckett’s execution by lethal injection for the 1987 rape and murder of 11-year-old Teresa McAbee, with Jeanifer Weldon’s family also attending because investigators believe he killed her four months later.
Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd said authorities stopped pursuing a Weldon conviction after Duckett received a death sentence, fearing a second prosecution could delay or complicate his execution.
1987 evidence in McAbee’s case included strong fingerprint and DNA links after she was last seen in Duckett’s patrol car while he was the only Mascotte officer on duty.
Weldon, 14, vanished in Polk County while walking home in September 1987; investigators say Duckett likely used his former police identity to gain her trust, and circumstantial clues included scratches on his back and a stuffed kitten matching hers.
Nearly 39 years later, Weldon’s sister said she is "100%" sure the right man was executed, even without a conviction in that case.