No Execution Tonight! Florida Supreme Court Says State Cannot Execute James Duckett… For Now

Summary

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Podcast Summary: "No Execution Tonight! Florida Supreme Court Says State Cannot Execute James Duckett… For Now"

Amy Robach & T.J. Holmes Present (iHeartPodcasts)
Date: March 31, 2026

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Episode Overview

This episode centers on a dramatic and unusual development in a Florida death penalty case. Amy Robach and T.J. Holmes discuss the surprising decision by the Florida Supreme Court to halt the scheduled execution of James Duckett, a former police officer convicted nearly 40 years ago for the rape and murder of an 11-year-old girl. The stay of execution was granted so that old DNA evidence could be retested, which Duckett's defense claims could exonerate him. The conversation spans the case’s history, the implications of the Court's decision, public reactions, the evidence, and the experience of Duckett as he awaits possible execution.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Stay of Execution: What Happened?

• The scheduled execution for James Duckett was called off by the Florida Supreme Court to allow newly available DNA testing on critical evidence.
• Amy Robach (03:17): "It was surprising to have the Florida Supreme Court step in and place a stay of execution... DNA that's been stored for nearly 40 years now to be tested. His attorney saying this could exonerate him."
• Duckett has maintained his innocence from the beginning.
• The state Supreme Court’s decision is unusual for Florida and was not fully explained in detail.

T.J. Holmes (02:47):
"A scheduled execution tonight in Florida is not happening."

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2. Court and Evidence Timeline

• The state's lab tested the DNA, but results were "inconclusive": not exonerating Duckett, but also not proving him guilty.
• The state pushed to proceed with the execution despite inconclusive DNA results, but the Supreme Court’s stay remains until at least April 2nd pending further updates or new lab analysis.

Amy Robach (05:29):
"My understanding would be that, yes, another lab is either retesting it or reviewing it or somehow just another set of scientific eyes are on these results to see if it can in fact exonerate Duckett."

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3. The Case Against Duckett: The Evidence

• The 1987 murder of an 11-year-old girl: last seen with Duckett, who was a rookie police officer.
• Circumstantial evidence:
  • Duckett admits to seeing the girl on the night she disappeared.
  • Girl’s handprints found on the hood of his car.
  • Tire tracks at the crime scene matched his car.
  • A pubic hair at the scene allegedly matched Duckett’s.
• Semen found on the victim’s jeans is the key DNA sample now being retested.

Amy Robach (09:10):
"There are tire tracks...a pubic hair that they said matched his pubic hair. They didn't have the DNA testing abilities that they do now. And this is where we are. There was some semen found...semen has now been able to undergo a type of testing that wasn't available up until recently."

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4. Delayed DNA Testing: Legal and Moral Questions

• Duckett declined earlier offers to have DNA retested until his execution warrant was signed; this raises suspicion for some, including prosecutors.
• The hosts wrestle with:
  • Whether last-minute innocence claims are genuine or simply legal maneuvers.
  • Why not just allow a few more days for another lab to check the evidence to avoid any irreversible mistake.

T.J. Holmes (10:23):
"Why skip it in the first place?...What was their legal reasoning for why they did not want that DNA tested?"

Amy Robach (13:42):
"If it's just a matter of a day or two more for another lab to take a look at it, why not do that?"

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5. Public Reaction and Innocence Advocacy (or Lack Thereof)

• Unlike other high-profile death row cases, Duckett does not have national innocence organizations (such as the Innocence Project) championing his cause.
• Most vocal claims of innocence come only from Duckett and his legal team.

Amy Robach (24:56):
"He's pretty much, at this point, the only person other than his attorneys who say he's innocent."

T.J. Holmes (11:01):
"This is not one of [the Innocence Project's] cases. Nobody else is out there hooting and hollering that an innocent man is about to be killed."

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6. The Personal Impact: Life on Death Watch

• Duckett has described his final days in "Q Wing" death watch on the Prison Writers website. He was moved there as soon as his death warrant was signed—losing contact with outside world, stripped of all property but allowed to send out final statements.
• Amy Robach (22:12): "He's still sitting there from what we understand because it is in limbo right now in this Q block...he has a space where he says final words because he is preparing to die."

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7. Legal, Ethical, and Emotional Complexity

• The hosts debate:
  • Are last-minute legal maneuvers a reasonable safeguard against wrongful execution, or a cynical delay tactic?
  • How much weight should be given to the wishes of the victim’s family about carrying out the execution?
  • What does clemency mean in this context, and should it hinge on personal change or purely justice for past crimes?
• T.J. Holmes (26:24):
  "How far do we take this thing?...If you have a 10-year sentence and then you go back to the judge in three years and say, look, I’m a changed man...You're being punished for what you did at the time when you did it."
• Amy Robach (28:27):
  "I do think that there should be weight given to the victim's family. I think ultimately what their wishes are should be considered alongside the sentencing."

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8. What Happens Next?

• April 2: Next court update expected.
• Execution warrant remains active until April 7; execution could be rescheduled at any time if the stay is lifted.
• The hosts signal they will continue following and updating listeners as more information becomes available.

Amy Robach (28:58):
"So April 2nd is when we're going to hear next from the State Supreme Court. And that means they would have five days to actually carry out this execution if they choose to do so."

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Amy Robach (07:08):
  "Six out of the seven Florida state Supreme Court justices opposed the state's request to go forward with the execution...that to me, speaks volumes. This wasn't a split decision."
• T.J. Holmes (13:04):
  "Every prosecutor and judge in the country said, yep, that sounds familiar. Everybody on cell block D is innocent. Everybody."
• Amy Robach (22:12):
  "He was allowed to post through this website what it's been like for him these past 30 days...had to let go of all of his limited personal property, including his phone, access to Internet. All of that gone."
• T.J. Holmes (27:24):
  "Now you're being punished for what you did at the time when you did it."
• Amy Robach (13:42):
  "It's better to be safe than sorry. There's no undoing an execution. And so why not push it a little forward?"

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Important Timestamps

• 02:47: Beginning substantive discussion about the Duckett case and Florida Supreme Court stay
• 03:17: DNA evidence and the court's surprising intervention
• 05:29: Next steps: other labs, timeline for further updates (April 2 at 5pm)
• 07:08: Discussion of the court's strong (6-1) decision to block execution
• 09:04 - 10:01: Breakdown of the original murder case evidence and DNA advances
• 13:42: Hosts debate ethical issues of delay vs. irreversible punishment
• 19:19: Return from break: life on death watch for Duckett
• 22:12: Duckett's first-person account from death watch, emotions, and legal limbo
• 24:56: Lack of national innocence organization support for Duckett
• 26:24: Discussion on clemency, "change," and what justice should look like
• 28:58: Execution warrant timeline and legal next steps

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Tone and Style of Hosts

Robach and Holmes maintain a direct, conversational, and often skeptical tone, balancing empathy with journalistic detachment. They are candid about their own doubts, the complexity of capital cases, and the emotional toll on all sides.

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Summary for New Listeners

This episode provides a nuanced, in-depth look at the intersection of law, science, and morality in the death penalty debate—centered on a real case where DNA evidence could be the difference between life and death. Robach and Holmes break down the facts, legal processes, evidence, and arguments without sensationalizing, offering context for both sides and leaving listeners with pressing questions about justice, finality, and the possibility of error.

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Transcript

[Amy Robach]

This is an I heart podcast, guaranteed human.

[Kristen Davis]

I'm Kristen Davis, host of the podcast Are youe a Charlotte? In 1998, my life was forever changed when I took on the role of Charlotte Yorke on a new show called Sex and the City. Now I get to sit down with some of my favorite people and relive all of the incredible moments this show brought us on and off the screen. Listen to Are youe a Charlotte? On the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts

[Cino]

on the Cino Show Podcast. Each episode invites you into a raw, unfiltered conversations about recovery, resilience and redemption. On a recent episode, I sit down with actor cultural icon Danny Trejo. Talk about addiction, transformation and the power of second chances. The entire season two is now available to binge, featuring powerful conversations with the guests like Tiffany Adish, Johnny Knoxville, and more.

[T.J. Holmes]

I'm an alcoholic, and without this drug, I'm gonna die.

[Cino]

Listen to Cino's show on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. On paper, the three hosts of the Nick Dickenpole show are geniuses. We can explain how AI works, data centers, but there are certain things that we don't necessarily understand better version of

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[Amy Robach]

Which, by the way, wasn't Taylor Swift

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who said that for the first time.

[Amy Robach]

I actually, I thought it was.

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I got that wrong.

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We're pretty close, though.

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[T.J. Holmes]

or wherever you get your podcasts.

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[Bob Pittman]

Hi, I'm Bob Pittman, chairman and CEO of iHeartMedia, and I'm kicking off a brand new season of my podcast, Math and Magic Stories from the frontiers of marketing. Math and Magic takes you behind the scenes of the biggest businesses and industries while sharing insights from the smartest minds in marketing. Coming up this season on Math and Magic, CEO of Liquid Death, Mike Cesario.

[T.J. Holmes]

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[Amy Robach]

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[T.J. Holmes]

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[Bob Pittman]

Take to interactive CEO Strauss Selnick and our own Chief Business Officer, Lisa Coffey. Listen to math and Magic on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast.

[T.J. Holmes]

Hey there, folks. It is Tuesday, March 31, the day James Duckett was supposed to be executed in Florida. It will not happen, not day at least. And with that, welcome to this episode of Amy and TJ Robes. This is a surprising case because of where it is, who it is, and that there was a stay of execution. So let's go ahead, and I hate to say the word, unpack all this, but a scheduled execution tonight in Florida is not happening.

[Amy Robach]

Yeah. And it was surprising to have the Florida Supreme Court step in and place a stay of execution for James Aaron Duckett's defense team to have DNA that's been stored for nearly 40 years now to be tested. His attorney saying this could exonerate him. He has maintained his innocence from the beginning. And so the Supreme Court, the state supreme court court stepped in and said, let's get that tested.

[T.J. Holmes]

Okay, we were on the edge of our seats last week. The state, this rarely happens. It certainly doesn't happen in Florida. But a court stepped in and said, hey, there's something relevant enough that we think we shouldn't go through with the execution. So, Rose, we were waiting, standing by last Friday. They said, we want a status update by o'. Clock. Sure enough, they got one by five o' clock on Friday. And it didn't really help. It didn't move the needle one way or another.

[Amy Robach]

Yes, it was inconclusive. And so immediately the state then files a petition to the state Supreme Court saying, okay, we, we did what you said. We put everything on pause. We got the results. And they do not exonerate James Duckett. He has not been proven to be innocent. There is no other suspect. There's no other DNA. And yes, it's inconclus, but it also doesn't exonerate. So we would like to go forward with the planned execution for today, March 31st at 6pm we would like James Aaron Duckett to die by lethal injection as scheduled. And honestly, yes, his defense team filed a motion saying, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, can we have another lab look at it? I have to say I didn't think they were going to side with the

[T.J. Holmes]

defense and I am not exactly sure why. They didn't explain a lot in their ruling. But the Supreme Court, State Supreme Court, when asked by the prosecutor to now lift the stay and let the execution go through at 6 o' clock tonight, the state Supreme Court said, no, our stay is going to stay in place. But Rose, they put another date on it that I don't necessarily understand what they're waiting for, but in a couple of days they're expecting to hear back from all parties.

[Amy Robach]

That is correct. On April 2nd. That is the. This Thursday. So in just a. In two days. The circuit court is required to now give an update by 5pm or at 5pm is the way I believe it was worded. And the only way I can imagine they could give an update is if another lab is taking a look at the results. The defense actually had a specific lab that they had fought for initially to actually do the testing and take a look at the DNA and we'll describe where this DNA came from and all that for those of you who need to be caught up. But, but the state said, no, we want it at our lab. So the state's lab did it. It's inconclusive. And now the defense says, now can our lab take a stab at it? So my understanding would be that, yes, another lab is either retesting it or reviewing it or somehow just another set of scientific eyes are on these results to see if it can in fact exonerate ducking.

[T.J. Holmes]

I mean, let's. Bottom line this thing is that a man has been on death row for 40 years, literally have his. Has his life in the balance based on some DNA testing. Now, Robes, that is a big deal and a big headline. The possibility that a death row inmate could be exonerated. However, Robes, as big of a headline as that seems to be, there are plenty of others who just look at a guy who was desperate to stay alive and now he's throwing anything he can up against the wall to see if it might legally stick.

[Amy Robach]

And look, the cynic in me says that exact same thing. We see this all the time. There's no guilty prisoners on death row. Everyone's innocent.

[Chelsea Handler]

Right?

[Amy Robach]

Most people say, I didn't do it. Wasn't me. It was this guy. It was him. It wasn't me. Look, I have to at least consider the fact that six out of the seven Florida state Supreme Court justices opposed the state's request to go forward with the execution. And that is significant in a state like Florida. And six out of seven, that to me, speaks volumes. This wasn't a split decision.

[T.J. Holmes]

Oh, this. Does this not speak to it? Does not. There is nothing they suggested. There's nothing you. Please tell me. We've been researching this case for a while. I don't see anything other than his own camp. That is hooting and hollering about an innocent man is about to be put to death.

[Amy Robach]

No. And look, everyone. And we have gone over the evidence that was presented in court. They claim it was all circumstantial. It was the fact that he was last seen with this 11 year old girl. And by the way, we are talking about. We're Talking about an 11 year old girl who was strangled, drowned and raped in 1987. And this officer, he was a police officer. A. He was a rookie officer, correct? James Aaron or something, wasn't. He was a young guy, a new officer. And he even admits to having seen this 11 year old girl the night she went missing. She apparently left her home to go. She told her mom she needed to get some pencils. 10:30 at night. She's seen with a 16 year old boy near this convenience store. According to James Duckett and two eyewitnesses. He tells a little girl, you're. And the 16 year old. You guys are out past curfew. Tells the 16 year old to skedaddle. Gets her in the back of his car. She's never seen again. That's damning right then and there. The fact that he is the last known person to have seen her alive.

[T.J. Holmes]

Yeah. Throw in the other stuff.

[Amy Robach]

The other stuff is that her hand prints are on the hood of his car.

[T.J. Holmes]

Okay.

[Amy Robach]

The other evidence is that there are tire tracks that are leading to the lake where her body was found the following day by a fisherman. And the fact that there was a pubic hair that they said matched his pubic hair. They didn't have the DNA testing abilities that they do now. And this is where we are. There was some semen found on the 11 year old's jeans. And that semen has now been able to undergo a type of testing that wasn't available up until recently.

[T.J. Holmes]

Okay. Please put in context what you mean by recently.

[Amy Robach]

Here's the context. 2024. And this is significant. According to police and prosecutors, James Aaron Duckett was given the opportunity to have that DNA tested with this new way of testing it. And he declined.

[T.J. Holmes]

Why?

[Amy Robach]

Opportunity to have that semen tested. And it wasn't until Governor DeSantis signed his death warrant and his clock started ticking. You got 30 days. All of a sudden. His defense team, in the last hour and few days leading up to the execution said, wait a minute. We want that DNA tested.

[T.J. Holmes]

Why skip it in the first place? I'm not saying that sarcastically. I'm saying what was their legal reasoning for why they did not want that DNA tested? What. What was their logic?

[Amy Robach]

I haven't seen a direct response to that. I've only seen the prosecutor raise the exact question that you did to the court, saying, I'm sorry, but an innocent man would have asked for this to be tested immediately as soon as proper testing was available. And that in and of itself speaks for itself.

[T.J. Holmes]

So has this been a case? We've seen some cases. I mean, what's the. The folks who get people off who take Innocence Project. The Innocence Project. This is not one of their cases.

[Amy Robach]

No.

[T.J. Holmes]

Nobody else is out there hooting and hollering that a Denison man is about to be killed. Now, is it possible? I guess robes. But we are. We are now being inundated at this point. If you were, sweetheart, look, there. There's a way that innocent people act and they're not quiet for 40 years. They are not.

[Amy Robach]

It's interesting that you say that because I actually did a deeper dive and was reading what the sheriff said about his deputy and look, police aren't one, aren't a group of folks who look to their own to look for suspects or to be suspicious of. But he said it was his rookie deputy who he was on the scene with him the next day. He said the way Officer Duckett was acting was so strange that he started to investigate. He said he was uncomfortable. He wasn't curious about how she died. He was shifty in a way that he felt like made him suddenly suspicious. I thought that was interesting that his own sheriff on the day her body was found started getting. He said the way he was talking about how he was the last person to see him sounded like a rehearsed, nervous story. And it raised a red flag for him to dig deeper. And that is how the investigation into Duckett began was because of his sheriff's suspicions. It took five months for them to actually bring charges and arrest him. But he said that very day that that little girl's body was found. He thought. I thought that was of note as well.

[T.J. Holmes]

That does not guilt to make just because somebody had a gut feeling. Sure. But it is relevant and I do

[Amy Robach]

think I hadn't looked to see. But when Duckett was sentenced to death, before he was sentenced to death, I should mention James Duckett actually in court records said this to the judge. So he has always maintained his innocence. He said, I did not do this when the person who did this repeats it, I want to see the face of the person telling the victim's mother, father, sister, brother, I am sorry. We thought we had the right one before. That's interesting. That's what he said right before sentencing. He was defiant.

[T.J. Holmes]

Every. Every prosecutor and judge in the country said, yep, that sounds familiar. I heard that before. Right before I sent a guy off to a life sentence. Yeah, sounds about right. Everybody on cell block D is innocent. Everybody. So, fine, there are exceptions. They should be listened to. But at some point. Robes. When do you stop all the back and forth and the madness we don't have? We have our issues with the death penalty, yes, but we also have penalties or problems with it being delayed. Justice. If this is justice, why are we waiting 40 years? Why are we waiting 42, 45. So we can get every lab in the country to test this DNA that he had 40 years test.

[Amy Robach]

And yet you made the point. Look, if it's just a matter of a day or two more for another lab to take a look at it, why not do that? And it seems like that is where the Florida State Supreme Court fell on this. It's better to be safe than sorry. There's no undoing an execution. And so why not push it a little forward? So we're hopefully going to get some more answers about what will happen to Duckett. Given where we are. We're literally in limbo right now in just a matter of days on Thursday. But when we come back, we're going to talk about what Duckett has been doing for these past 30 days. Since DeSantis signed his death warrant, he's been writing all about it on a website.

[Unknown Narrator]

You know Roald Dahl, the writer who thought up Willy Wonka, Matilda, and the bfg. But did you know he was also a spy?

[Amy Robach]

Was this before he wrote his stories?

[Chelsea Handler]

It must have been.

[Unknown Narrator]

Our new podcast series, the Secret World of Roald Dahl is a wild journey through the hidden chapters of his extraordinary, controversial life. His job was literally to seduce the wives of powerful Americans.

[Amy Robach]

What?

[Unknown Narrator]

And he was really good at it. You probably won't believe it either.

[Amy Robach]

Okay, I don't think that's true.

[Unknown Narrator]

I'm telling you, the guy was a spy. Did you know Dahl got cozy with the Roosevelts, played poker with Harry Truman, and had a long affair with a congresswoman. And then he took his talents to Hollywood, where he worked alongside Walt Disney and Alfred Hitchcock before writing a hit James Bond film. How did this secret agent wind up as the most successful children's author ever. And what darkness from his covert past seeped into the stories we read as kids. The true story is stranger than anything he ever wrote. Listen to the Secret World of Roald Dahl on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts.

[Amy Robach]

An ambitious, well intentioned, ferocious and wealthy mother looks like in the Black community

[Chelsea Handler]

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[T.J. Holmes]

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[Bob Pittman]

Hi, I'm Bob Pittman, chairman and CEO of iHeartMedia and I'm kicking off a brand new season of my podcast Math and Stories from the Frontiers of Marketing. Math and Magic takes you behind the scenes of the biggest businesses and industries while sharing insights from the source smartest minds in marketing. I'm talking to leaders from the entertainment industry to finance and everywhere in between this season of Math and Magic I'm talking to CEO of Liquid Death, Mike Cesario, financier and public health advocate Mike Milken, Take two Interactive CEO Strauss Zelnick.

[T.J. Holmes]

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Listen to Math and Magic stories from the frontiers of Marketing on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcast.

[Chelsea Handler]

It's the new me and it's the old them. Everybody's on their journey and your journey is different to theirs. This Women's History Month. The podcast if youf Knew Better with Amber Grimes spotlights women who turn missteps into momentum, lessons into power. I think coming out of where I came from, I'm from the Bronx. I think I grew up really poor. I didn't know that then because I very much use my creativity to romanticize life and I'm like, my mom did a really good job of like, you step back and you're like Whoa. We. I don't know how we made it. So a lot of my life was like built out of like survival to get to the next place, like my drive, my like tunnel vision of like, I gotta be better, I gotta achieve this was off the strengths of like, I want to make a better life for us. If you Knew Better brings real talk from women who've lived it, unpacking career pivots, relationship lessons, and the mindset shifts that changed everything. Listen to if youf Knew Better with Amber grimes on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcast. Almost 30 years together, four kids, and some of reality TV's most unforgettable moments. We know a thing or two about living life out loud. We're taking you behind the scenes in our new podcast, Between Us with me,

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[Chelsea Handler]

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[Unknown Narrator]

Moments.

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Listen to between us on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

[Amy Robach]

Welcome back everyone to this episode of Amy and tj. The execut is off for now of James Aaron Duckett. He was scheduled to die tonight by lethal injection for the rape and murder of an 11 year old girl nearly 40 years ago. The Florida State Supreme Court said let's give it a few more days. After the first DNA tests from the case came back inconclusive and the defense asked for another lab to take a look at the results before making the decision about when or if to actually follow through with the execution of James Aaron Duckett. And so a whole host of events take place once a governor signs a death warrant that I really didn't know. Obviously this is all very rehearsed and scheduled, but I didn't realize the day the death warrant is signed, action is taken.

[T.J. Holmes]

Yeah, you're isolated, this is. And they keep an eye on you this is a totally different. It shifts and. Right. What is it? They use their own death row for 30, 40 years but they end up not necessarily in isolation that long. Certainly in Florida.

[Amy Robach]

In Florida. So yes. So he actually Duckett, actually there's a website out there called Prison Writers. And I look, they do vet this writing so as to not upset or harm any victims families out there. But they have some editors who have journalism backgrounds and they make sure that the writing is non offensive. But he was allowed to post through this website what it's been like for him these past 30 days. And so he said on February 27th, that is when DeSantis signed his death warrant. He said literally two vans pulled in. A few minutes later, a door to the wing opened up. The warden called his name and said, it's time, the governor has signed your warrant. So he got handcuffs, shackles, waist chain. And he was escorted past all his friends that he had spent all this time in death row with saying goodbye and going into a van, heading to death war, death watch, basically where he had to sign copies of his death warrant and go to the queue wing where he now, yes, had a plexiglass, a bunk, a locker, a small table, a toilet, a sink. But he had to let go of all of his limited personal property, including his phone, access to Internet. All of that gone.

[T.J. Holmes]

Yeah, the execution still might go through. I mean the execution still might happen. I'm not sure how active, how long the warrants stay active. I think they go a little while. I think they anticipate these things, do they not? Isn't the warrant active? They don't have to sign another one, do they?

[Amy Robach]

I don't believe, Governor, no. Once you go past the date though, I don't know when they extended it to. You know how sometimes they extend the, the, the death warrant where they give themselves some time in case there's some sort of issue.

[T.J. Holmes]

Usually only a day, I thought.

[Amy Robach]

Right, yeah. I'm not sure how this is going to work. But he is still sitting there from what we understand because it is in limbo right now in this Q block basically, or Q wing is what it's called. And it's just interesting to hear him talk about what it's like in these final days for death row inmates. He was expecting it to be about 30 days. He said, I miss emailing, I miss, I mostly miss music. The silence is constant. I miss seeing outside. The two windows are painted over. You can only see their outline. He says that an officer is stationed in front of his cell 24 7, logging everything he does. And he is allowed to write on this tablet, which then his words were able to be published. But he has a space where he says final words because he is preparing to die. He said. My legal team continues to fight. They have not stopped since the warrant was issued. But this is where I say goodbye to those who have read my work. I wanted to write this last piece because, as I see it, it's time. Keep me in your prayers and thank you for the support. It's. I just didn't know that there was even an outlet for inmates like this to just basically communicate with the outside world about what it's like to be on death row or what it's like to await your execution date.

[T.J. Holmes]

I guess some people might find it, I don't know, interesting, fascinating part of someone's story. I don't know. There might be others looking at and find it disgusting. Why do they get this outlet? Why do they get to put a message out? But they have freedom of speech. I guess it's. They shouldn't be kept from speaking. There's. They are allowed to profit from their crime. So there are some types of rules put in place. But I just wonder, as you were reading that, just. I wonder what the mom of the victim feels about him having a message. I wonder if she's even aware. Does she even check in? I just. I don't know. He. He's writing as the sympathetic figure in this whole thing. If he's an innocent man, obviously he's a sympathetic figure. But Rope, I just. I haven't studied the case, but I have. I have seen enough. For the folks who are studying this case who do have opinions on this case, it's just not that groundswell of innocence that's being out there for this.

[Amy Robach]

Yes, to your point. It's one thing to proclaim your innocence. It's another thing to have a whole other group of folks who devote their lives to trying to do their best to make sure that people who are innocent, who haven't been properly represented or who haven't had a fair trial actually make sure that they and their rights are protected. Yes. There's no group that has come to his aid or have come out to say he didn't do it. He's an innocent man.

[T.J. Holmes]

Man.

[Amy Robach]

He's pretty much, at this point, the only person other than his attorneys who say he's innocent. Yeah.

[Unknown Narrator]

So we.

[T.J. Holmes]

I mean, we should see. Again, Robes. I see it through. I mean, not to the point of being unreasonable, but if you want To Yes. Give him the lab, let them test. Then it comes back inconclusive. What do we do then? Well, since we don't know for sure, then the least you could do is commute his sentence. Is that what they're setting up? This could be Robes. Probably a media narrative. This could all be a PR campaign to get us talking about it, to get more people interested in this thing to where there is a groundswell of support for him and attention for him. And maybe you get some big names on TV talking about him. Who knows? The lawyers are doing the job, trying to keep a man alive, and I can't fault them for that.

[Amy Robach]

Wow. I get it too. I get it too. And he talks about clemency. And what does clemency mean if that's what he's actually seeking at this point? But he said it's a chance to convince those in charge who you are. Not making excuses for why you were here, but showing true, honest change by presenting testimony, evidence, witnesses, and making the argument, I am not now who I was then. I guess he's talking about other crimes. When I read that he's writing about what clemency means and how it's not being extended to inmates in Florida. If he's talking about himself, he's claiming he was innocent from the beginning. So that's a strange premise to. To write about trial.

[T.J. Holmes]

Throw everything at the wall.

[Amy Robach]

And that's what it seems like. That is what it seems like.

[T.J. Holmes]

Now you should. That makes sense. Knock yourself out. But how. Just how far do we take this thing? Ropes? How far is it allowed? And to his argument about clemency, Robes, what are we supposed to do to folk if you have a 10 year sentence and then you go back to the judge in three years and say, look, I'm a changed man. I shouldn't be here for 10 years because I have been changed. Would we listen to that person or would we say, no, you need to serve your time as justice has been laid out for what you did. Take James Duckett. You're saying I shouldn't have to see through the punishment I was given for my crime because now I'm a different man than I was. That ain't how it works. It's just not. And that's. You gotta take issue with it. But Robes, I. I compare him to anybody else in jail who's gonna say, hey, I'm different now, so that sentence doesn't count. Now you're being punished for what you did at the time when you did it.

[Amy Robach]

Yep, I know you make a very good point. And I think a lot of people feel exactly the same way as you. It'll be interesting to see A, what the results are come Thursday if there are new results coming, and B, what happens next to James Duckett?

[T.J. Holmes]

This is the one I was just thinking, okay, Robes, if we get word the execution is not going to go through and he, he's going to be spared and he's just going to get life in prison or if they go through with the execution. Do you have a preference? No, no, not that. How do you feel either way, right. If they decide to execute this man, if they decide not to. My first thought went to the mom of the victim who wants this guy executed. And so I to think his sentence is commuted and we save a life is something I am on board with, but I have a problem being on board with it. When the mother of the 11 year old who was drowned, raped says, I need this justice, I have a hard time going against that.

[Amy Robach]

I know we always. I do think that there should be weight given to the victim's family. I think ultimately what their wishes are should be considered alongside the sentencing. But at this point, we just know that he was in fact sentenced to death. We will see what the Florida State Supreme Court decides on Thursday at 5pm April 7. Sorry, what did I say?

[T.J. Holmes]

No, no, no, no. I'm just confirming the death warrant actually stays active for another week. Oh, so April 7th.

[Amy Robach]

Oh, wow.

[T.J. Holmes]

They can kill him anytime they want to.

[Amy Robach]

Okay. Wow, that. So that's interesting. So April 2nd is when we're going to hear next from the State Supreme Court. And that means they would have five days to actually carry out this execution if they choose to do so.

[T.J. Holmes]

I'm sure the state is like, yep, we are raring to go.

[Amy Robach]

I'm sure. Well, the prosecutor definitely signaled that they were. So of course we will continue to keep our eye on this story and bring you the very latest. In the meantime, though, thank you for listening to us. I'm Amy Robach alongside T.J. holmes. We will talk to you soon.

[Chelsea Handler]

This is Chelsea Handler from Dear Chelsea, after the Big Game. Like most people, I kept thinking about the commercials. And there was one that stayed with me. It was from the Blue Square Alliance Against Hate. And it wasn't loud or flashy. It showed a being targeted at school and another student who chose not to ignore it. As someone who was Jewish, that moment felt very real to me. Not dramatic, just familiar. And what struck me was how clearly it showed that hate doesn't always announce itself but the impact is still huge. If you saw the blue square spot during the big game, it's worth thinking about. And if you want to show support, sharing the blue square is one small way to do that.

[Kristen Davis]

I'm Kristen Davis, host of the podcast Are youe a Charlotte? In 1998, my life life was forever changed when I took on the role of Charlotte York on a new show called Sex and the City. Now I get to sit down with some of my favorite people and relive all of the incredible moments this show brought us on and off the screen. Listen to Are you a Charlotte? On the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts

[Cino]

on the Steno Show Podcast. Each episode invites you into a raw, unfiltered conversations about recovery, resilience and redemption. On a recent episode, I sit down with actor cultural icon Danny Trejo talk about addiction transformation and the power of second chances. The entire season two is now available to binge, featuring powerful conversations with guests like Tiffany Haddish, Johnny Knoxville, and more.

[T.J. Holmes]

I'm an alcoholic and without this trope, I'm a die.

[Cino]

Listen to Cino's show on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

[Bob Pittman]

Hi, I'm Bob Pittman, chairman and CEO of iHeartMedia, and I'm kicking off a brand new season of my podcast. Math and Stories from the Frontiers of Math and Magic. Takes you behind the scenes of the biggest businesses and industries while sharing insights from the smartest minds in marketing. Coming up, the seasonal Math and Magic CEO of Liquid Death, Mike Cesario.

[T.J. Holmes]

People think that creative ideas are like these light bulb moments that happen when you're in the shower where it's really

[Amy Robach]

like a stone sculpture.

[T.J. Holmes]

You're constantly just chipping away and refining.

[Bob Pittman]

Take two Interactive CEO Strauss Selnick and her own Chief business officer, Lisa Karl. Listen to math and Magic on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcast.

[Cino]

On paper, the three hosts of the Nick Dickenpole show are geniuses. We can explain how AI works, data centers, but there are certain things that we don't necessarily understand.

[T.J. Holmes]

Better version of Play stupid games, win stupid prizes.

[Unknown Narrator]

Yes.

[Amy Robach]

Which, by the way, wasn't Taylor Swift

[T.J. Holmes]

who said that for the first time.

[Amy Robach]

I actually, I thought it was.

[T.J. Holmes]

I got that wrong.

[Cino]

But hey, no one's perfect.

[T.J. Holmes]

We're pretty close though.

[Cino]

Listen to the Nick, Dick and Paul show on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts,

[T.J. Holmes]

or wherever you get your podcasts.

[Amy Robach]

This is an iHeart podcast guaranteed human.