On Monday, the state will try to put two inmates to death on the same day, something that has not been done in the United States in 17 years.
An Arkansas inmate who was executed late Thursday showed no apparent signs of suffering and lost consciousness quickly after the lethal injection began. He was pronounced dead 12 minutes later.
Gov. Asa Hutchinson defended the unprecedented schedule because the state's supply of one of the lethal drugs expires at the end of April. Four of the men have received stays for various reasons.
So far, court decisions have cancelled three of the planned executions and legal rulings have placed at least one of the other five in doubt.
Fresenius, a USA subsidiary of German drug manufacturer Fresenius Kabi, makes the heart-stopping potassium chloride.
"What McKesson's lawsuit demonstrates is that the secrecy law is not created to protect the distributors and manufacturers; it's created to try to prevent them from learning that the state has improperly obtained the drugs", said Dunham, whose nonprofit group opposes the death penalty.
"Apparently the reason the state chose to proceed with these eight executions is that the "use by" date of the state's execution drug is about to expire.In my view, that factor, when considered as a determining factor separating those who live from those who die, is close to random", Justice Stephen Breyer wrote.
Arkansas planned to carry out back-to-back executions on Thursday night at the state prison, located southeast of Little Rock.
This combination of file photos shows one of the three drugs that the Arkansas Department of Correction (ADC) purchased to perform several executions.
McKesson accused the state of acquiring the vecuronium bromide under false pretenses by leading the company to believe it was for medical purposes rather than executions. The Arkansas Supreme court ultimately allowed prison officials to administer the drug.
Facebook Spaces Launched for Social VR
And what would Facebook in VR be without the odd selfie or two, there's an integrated selfie stick to capture all those moments. One can change the eye color, hairstyle, and facial features among others to get the VR identity as customized as they desire.
Pharmaceuticals companies and other suppliers have objected to their drugs being used in executions and have been trying to stop states from getting supplies for lethal injections.
After a hiatus of almost 12 years, the execution was carried out without any apparent glitches. Lee was sentenced to death after being convicted of killing Debra Reese with a tire iron in February 1993 in Jacksonville.
At the last minute, the 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, put Lee's execution on hold for 75 minutes.
"Today is a shameful day for Arkansas, which is callously rushing the judicial process by treating human beings as though they have a sell-by date", said James Clark, a senior official of Amnesty International's U.S. branch.
"While other states have increasingly come to the conclusion that the capital punishment system is beyond fix, Arkansas is running in the opposite direction from progress".
The execution ended a frantic day for Lee's case.
Ledell Lee's execution was scheduled for 7 p.m., but an evening of appeals kept him alive longer. Another drug, potassium chloride, was used despite protests from the drug manufacturer.
He was strapped to a gurney, and declined the opportunity to make a final statement before he died. His last meal was Holy Communion.
"The use of the medicines for lethal injections creates a public-health risk by undermining the safety and supply of lifesaving medicines", Searcy attorney Brett Watson wrote on behalf of the companies. His eyes closed three minutes later. Their lawyers have argued that Arkansas' rush to the death chamber amounted to cruel and unusual punishment, and violated the inmates' right to counsel and their right to access the courts and counsel during the execution process. "Then at 11:55 p.m. his heart was checked with a stethoscope", Murphy said.
Comments