After decades of appeals, DNA testing and hearings, it appears James Duckett has run out of time before he faces the executioner on July 28 for raping and killing an 11-year-old girl while on duty as a rookie police officer in Mascotte.

“Justice has been a long time coming,” says Assistant State Attorney Ken Nunnelley, the local prosecutor who argued for the governor’s death warrant to be carried out.

“I feel good about it,” says Rocky Harris, 81, a former Lake County sheriff’s detective who investigated the death of Teresa McAbee in 1987. “I thought he was going to outlive me.”

Former Lake County Sheriff’s Detective Rocky Harris

Duckett, 68, is scheduled to be executed the same day as convicted killer Dominick Occhicone. He was convicted of a 1986 double homicide in Pasco County. He is now 80 years old.

Dominick Occhicone

Duckett’s longtime attorney Mary Elizabeth Wells of Atlanta says Wednesday that she was “frustrated” by the latest announcement.

Circuit Judge Brian Welke had scheduled a hearing for 3 p.m. to hear Wells’ request for more DNA testing and the state’s objection but the hearing was cancelled. “We’re trying to figure out what to do now,” she said in a phone interview.

James Duckett

Duckett has always claimed his innocence but Harris says he was convinced from the beginning that Duckett was guilty.

“Remember, he killed three,” he said in a phone interview from his pawn shop in Eustis.

He was referring to Duckett being a suspect in two other murders in Polk County but he was never charged.

Harris was at the scene where Teresa’s body was found in a lake by a fisherman. He was examining unusual tire tracks when one of the evidence technicians said, “Hey, look at that.”

Florida State Attorney’s Office

He noticed that one of the town’s two patrol cars had matching tire treads.

Harris said Goodyear had mistakenly sent snow tires to Florida and the town purchased them for their patrol cars.

But it was Duckett’s attitude that really convinced him. Harris and fellow deputy Chuck Johnson interviewed Duckett.

James Duckett

He denied having anything to do with the strangulation murder.  “He was cold. The coldest person I’ve ever interviewed.”

The town marshal had to order Duckett to talk to investigators, Harris says. “That’s very unusual for a rookie.”

The chief had ordered Duckett to make an overnight search for the girl his priority but by early morning he was operating a radar gun looking for speeders.

Teresa was seen talking to a 16-year-old boy near the convenience store where she went to buy a pencil for homework. The boy left with a relative and Duckett scolded her for violating curfew. Harris found the pencil at the crime scene, snapped in two.

Teresa McAbee

One woman later claimed to have seen the girl get into Duckett’s car but later recanted.

Evidence techs found a pubic hair that an FBI analyst said was consistent with Duckett’s. His credibility was later questioned. However, crime scene investigators found Teresa’s and Duckett’s fingerprints on the hood of his patrol car. Duckett said she was never on the hood.

Gov. Ron DeSantis had set Duckett’s date of execution for Feb. 27 but the Florida Supreme Court stopped it to allow the defense a chance to test DNA found on her underwear.

New techniques have emerged for testing, but the results were inconclusive and the sample was destroyed in the process.

Wells argued in her motions for more samples to be tested, saying the state was incapable of handling the tests.

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis signed the most recent death warrant for James Duckett on July 14.

Photos: Lake County Sheriff’s Office, Florida State Attorney’s Office