Following botched Oklahoma execution, Obama calls for death penalty inquiry

Alex Wong/Getty Images

Following botched Oklahoma execution, Obama calls for death penalty inquiry
(Image credit: Alex Wong/Getty Images)

Calling Tuesday's botched execution of an Oklahoma inmate "deeply troubling," President Barack Obama said he will ask the attorney general to review the death penalty's application.

Obama's comments on Friday were his first made publicly concerning Tuesday's execution, in which Clay Lockett, a convicted murderer, writhed for 43 minutes before dying from a heart attack. The state of Oklahoma was using a new drug combination, and the state refused to disclose the source of the new drugs prior to Lockett's execution.

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Sarah Eberspacher

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.