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.

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE
https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516.jpg

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.

Sign up
To continue reading this article...
Continue reading this article and get limited website access each month.
Get unlimited website access, exclusive newsletters plus much more.
Cancel or pause at any time.
Already a subscriber to The Week?
Not sure which email you used for your subscription? Contact us
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.