"States' leading lethal injection expert ends role," is the report by AP Legal Affairs Writer Andrew Welsh-Huggins. It's via the Lexington Herald-Leader.
An anesthesiologist said he would no longer act as an expert witness for states defending their lethal injection methods, creating another hurdle for corrections departments scrambling to find workable execution systems.
Mark Dershwitz, a University of Massachusetts anesthesiologist and pharmacologist, was the expert called by Ohio in support of its new two-drug combination that led to a troubling 26-minute execution in January. The same drug combination led to a nearly two-hour execution in Arizona last month, raising more questions about the drugs.
Dershwitz was a leading expert for prison officials, having offered his opinions for 22 states and the federal government over the past decade.
He announced his decision to terminate his role in June, saying Ohio had jeopardized his standing with the American Board of Anesthesiology in a news release it issued about the Jan. 16 execution of Dennis McGuire.
And:
Ohio said it might need Dershwitz again as an expert witness in upcoming executions, according to the April 30 letter. The state declined to comment on Dershwitz' announcement or say whether it would obtain a new expert. In an October court filing in federal court in Ohio, Dershwitz said he was paid $450 "for review and report writing" and $3,500 a day for testimony.
His expert opinion had involved either written affidavits in support of certain methods or testimony in court, including cross-examination by defense attorneys representing condemned inmates. Judges in states including Florida, Ohio and Oklahoma have relied on his testimony in approving state execution methods.
Earlier coverage of Ohio lethal injection issues begins at the link.
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