Log shows 15 separate drug doses were used in botched Arizona execution


Execution logs released by Arizona's Department of Corrections on Friday show that 15 separate doses of a drug combination were used to kill Joseph Rudolph Wood III, the Los Angeles Times reports.
The botched execution, which lasted nearly two hours during which witnesses said Wood snorted and choked for breath, is under investigation by Arizona's Department of Corrections. The fact that the party under investigation is the one doing the investigating has fueled plenty of concern and debate about the death penalty.
The logs, released to Wood's attorney, show that officials administered the first dose of 50 milligrams of hydromorphone and 50 milligrams of midazolam at 1:52 p.m. When that appeared to not be working, officials administered a second dose at 2:08 p.m., and then continued injecting more doses every few minutes until Wood was pronounced dead at 3:49 p.m.
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Sarah Eberspacher is an associate editor at TheWeek.com. She has previously worked as a sports reporter at The Livingston County Daily Press & Argus and The Arizona Republic. She graduated from Northwestern University's Medill School of Journalism.
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