Oklahoma inmate dies from heart attack after botched execution
Oklahoma Department of Corrections
An Oklahoma death row inmate died Tuesday night from a heart attack after officials botched the delivery of a new lethal drug combination that was supposed to kill him.
The New York Times reports that Clayton D. Lockett "began to twitch and gasp" after a doctor had deemed he was unconscious, about 20 minutes after the first drug was administered. Witnesses said that Lockett mumbled "oh man" and tried to lift his head, before the doctor discovered that "the line had blown" and that the drugs, especially the sedative, were no longer entering his bloodstream. His lawyers question the failed veins explanation from prison officials.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Both Lockett and Warner had earlier tried to delay the executions over Oklahoma's refusal to disclose the source of the new drugs that would be used in the injections. The Times reports that Lockett was set to first be injected with midazolam, which would make him unconscious and unable to feel pain. The second injection would have been of vecuronium bromide, which stops breathing, and the third of potassium chloride, which stops the heart. Florida has used a similar combination to execute prisoners, but with a higher dosage of midazolam.
-
Courgette and leek ijeh (Arabic frittata) recipeThe Week Recommends Soft leeks, tender courgette, and fragrant spices make a crisp frittata
-
Trump’s power grab: the start of a new world order?Talking Point Following the capture of Nicolás Maduro, the US president has shown that arguably power, not ‘international law’, is the ultimate guarantor of security
-
Unrest in Iran: how the latest protests spread like wildfireIn the Spotlight Deep-rooted discontent at the country’s ‘entire regime’ and economic concerns have sparked widespread protest far beyond Tehran
-
‘One Battle After Another’ wins Critics Choice honorsSpeed Read Paul Thomas Anderson’s latest film, which stars Leonardo DiCaprio, won best picture at the 31st Critics Choice Awards
-
Son arrested over killing of Rob and Michele ReinerSpeed Read Nick, the 32-year-old son of Hollywood director Rob Reiner, has been booked for the murder of his parents
-
Rob Reiner, wife dead in ‘apparent homicide’speed read The Reiners, found in their Los Angeles home, ‘had injuries consistent with being stabbed’
-
Hungary’s Krasznahorkai wins Nobel for literatureSpeed Read László Krasznahorkai is the author of acclaimed novels like ‘The Melancholy of Resistance’ and ‘Satantango’
-
Primatologist Jane Goodall dies at 91Speed Read She rose to fame following her groundbreaking field research with chimpanzees
-
Florida erases rainbow crosswalk at Pulse nightclubSpeed Read The colorful crosswalk was outside the former LGBTQ nightclub where 49 people were killed in a 2016 shooting
-
Trump says Smithsonian too focused on slavery's illsSpeed Read The president would prefer the museum to highlight 'success,' 'brightness' and 'the future'
-
Trump to host Kennedy Honors for Kiss, StalloneSpeed Read Actor Sylvester Stallone and the glam-rock band Kiss were among those named as this year's inductees
