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Another Botched Execution: 2 Hours to Die

By Jeralyn, Section Death Penalty
Posted on Thu Jul 24, 2014 at 09:58:00 AM EST
Tags: lethal injection (all tags)
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Joseph Wood was executed in Arizona yesterday. It took two hours to kill him. The execution was not halted, even though he repeatedly gasped and snorted during it.

An Associated Press reporter who witnessed the execution saw Wood start gasping shortly after a sedative and a pain killer were injected into his veins. He gasped more than 600 times over the next hour and 40 minutes.

Most disgusting comment, from a relative of the victim named Richard Brown:

Why didn't we give him Drano?

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    Another Botched Execution: 2 Hours to Die | 23 comments (23 topical)

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    I'd disagree, the most disgusting comments... (5.00 / 4) (#2)
    by Dadler on Thu Jul 24, 2014 at 11:01:02 AM EST
    ...come from those having no immediate relation to the victims in the case. Family members of the victims, I'm sorry, can be forgiven for WHATEVER objectionable sh*t they say. Sorry, but if some guy killed my loved ones as he did to those folks, I'd bust through that glass to kill the phucker with my bare hands WHILE he was gasping. Not because I think it's right, but because violence destroys people and that destruction is almost always irreparable. That said, this is the reason the DP should be abolished. Because all it does is inflame our worst instincts as "modern and civilized" human beings. It rights no wrongs, it does not bring back to life the dead. It simply prolongs violence and suffering.

    Exactly - that's why relatices are not (5.00 / 2) (#3)
    by ruffian on Thu Jul 24, 2014 at 11:48:15 AM EST
    the judge, jury, or executioner.

    Objectively, this is a horrible practice and needs to be stopped. It is not fair punishment by any definition of the word.  

    Parent

    LWOP is my preference (none / 0) (#7)
    by jimakaPPJ on Thu Jul 24, 2014 at 03:11:48 PM EST
    but if that is not available then hanging is effective, fast and cheap.

    BTW - I told a poker playing bud that LWOP was my preference.

    He retorted that all that would do is make the defense lawyers re-calibrate their claims re cruel and unusual punishment.

    Parent

    I don't know about that (5.00 / 1) (#8)
    by ruffian on Thu Jul 24, 2014 at 04:26:47 PM EST
    Is there automatic appeal for LWOP? If not it seems to me there would be far fewer appeals over all. How many current LWOP cases get appealed on 'cruel and unusual' basis?

    I know, I would not expect you to fact check your poker buddies!

    Parent

    I'll go there... (none / 0) (#11)
    by kdog on Thu Jul 24, 2014 at 05:55:34 PM EST
    Life without the possibility of parole is cruel and unusual...because people can change. If the most heinous among us convicted of the most heinous crimes won't change, then they can rot.  But parole should be on the table for those that can be redeemed.

    Perhaps I should shut up until the death penalty is a barbaric relic.

    Parent

    kdog, BIOR (none / 0) (#12)
    by jimakaPPJ on Thu Jul 24, 2014 at 06:02:24 PM EST
    There is this thing called punishment by the state for cri