Rhetoric Race and Religion
Death penalty opponents and lawyers for condemned prisoners said the botched execution of a convicted in killer in Oklahoma could have a far-reaching impact on death penalty states, potentially putting the brakes at least temporarily on further use of lethal injections.
Clayton Lockett, 38, struggled violently, groaned and writhed after lethal drugs were administered by Oklahoma officials Tuesday night (April 29), according to eyewitness accounts. State Corrections Director Robert Patton halted the execution, citing vein failure that may have prevented the deadly chemicals from reaching Lockett. He eventually died of a heart attack.
Witnesses could see Lockett struggle before state officials closed off curtains blocking their view.
“We have to stop executions until there’s been a full investigation, independent investigation and full transparency,” said Madeline Cohen, the lawyer for Charles Warner, who was slated to be executed by Oklahoma shortly after Lockett’s death. Warner received a temporary stay pending a state investigation into what went wrong.
Cohen said she would file court documents seeking, in addition to an independent investigation, an independent autopsy.
Richard Dieter, executive director of the nonprofit Death Penalty Information Center, a clearinghouse for information and an opponent of executions, said Lockett’s manner of death would add momentum to efforts to halt lethal injection until the process is better understood and there is more transparency to what states are trying to do.
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