Late Friday, the Arizona Department of Corrections released 331 pages of documents related to the execution of Joseph Wood on July 23, 2014. Dale Baich, Counsel for Mr. Wood, has released the following statement in response to the revelation that Mr. Wood was injected with 15 separate doses of the experimental drug combination in violation of the Arizona execution protocol:
"The Arizona execution protocol explicitly states that a prisoner will be executed using 50 milligrams of hydromorphone and 50 milligrams of midazolam. The execution logs released today by the Arizona Department of Corrections shows that the experimental drug protocol did not work as promised. Instead of the one dose as required under the protocol, ADC injected 15 separate doses of the drug combination, resulting in the most prolonged execution in recent memory. This is why an independent investigation by a non-governmental authority is necessary."
The New York Times reports, "Executed Arizona Man Given 15 Times Standard Dose, Lawyers Say," by Fernanda Santos.
Lawyers for an inmate who was executed last month by lethal injection said Friday that his executioners injected him with 15 times the standard dose of a sedative and a painkiller during a procedure that lasted nearly two hours before their client was declared dead.
The execution of the inmate, Joseph R. Wood III, which was the fourth troubled one in the nation this year, renewed debate over the death penalty and prompted Arizona’s attorney general to order a temporary halt to executions in the state. The Arizona Department of Corrections announced Friday that it was seeking an outside investigator to conduct an independent inquiry into Mr. Wood’s execution.
And:
Medical experts said the amount of the drugs used in Mr. Wood’s execution was unprecedented and its effect unknown. Joel Zivot, an assistant professor of anesthesiology and surgery at Emory University Hospital, said there was inherent danger in repurposing drugs “designed to treat patients, to cure diseases,” because there was no dosage “indicated or prescribed as having the intent to kill.”
“They’re making this up as they go along,” Dr. Zivot said in a telephone interview.
"Joseph Wood Received 15 Injections Of Untested Drug Cocktail During Arizona Execution," is AP coverage by Astrid Galvan, via HuffPost.
Records released to Joseph Rudolph Wood's attorneys show he was administered midazolam and hydromorphone in 50-milligram increments 15 times between 1:53 p.m. and 3:45 p.m., for a total of 750 milligrams of each drug. He was pronounced dead at 3:49 p.m. after gasping more than 600 times while he lay on the table.
Arizona's execution protocol calls for 50 milligrams of each drug, although some states use as much as 500 milligrams of midazolam in their execution procedures.
"Those are pretty staggering amounts of medication. They did not shortchange in the dose," said Karen Sibert, a longtime anesthesiologist and spokeswoman for the California Society of Anesthesiologists.
Sibert, an associate professor at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, said patients who are sedated before a surgery typically receive no more than 2 milligrams each of midazolam and hydromorphone.
"Arizona inmate injected 15 times, records show," is the Arizona Republic report by Michael Kiefer.
Wood's attorneys had filed motions for injunctions because the Department of Corrections would not reveal information about where it obtained its supply of midazolam and hydromorphone or about the executioners' medical qualifications.
Friday's news release also revealed that the execution team included a licensed medical doctor, a detail that the Department of Corrections had refused to provide before the execution.But the major question in the motion for stay of execution was the drug midazolam, which has been part of three other executions since last October in which the inmates seemed to gasp for air and take longer to die than with other drugs used in lethal injection.
The Arizona Capitol Times reports, "Wood given 15 doses of lethal drugs during two-hour execution in Arizona," by Gary Grado.
In a press release Friday afternoon, Department of Corrections Director Charles Ryan said his July 24 order to commission an independent review of the execution is underway. The review had been ordered by Gov. Jan Brewer.
Ryan said records of the execution process were released to attorneys for the state and Wood in accordance with standard department procedure.
"Wood's execution required 15 injections," is by Patrick McNamara for the Arizona Daily Star.
“I am committed to a thorough, transparent and comprehensive review process,” ADOC Director Charles Ryan said in news release on Friday, announcing he will engage an outside expert to review the execution.
“This will be an authoritative review to ensure that fact-based conclusions are reached regarding every aspect of this procedure, including the length of time it took for the execution to be lawfully completed.”
The Los Angeles Times reports, "After first drug dose failed to kill Arizona inmate, logs show 14 more," by Cindy Carcamo.
Some are calling into question whether the investigation into Wood’s death should be done by the agency in charge of his execution.
“I feel the investigation should not be done by the Department of Corrections itself, but by an independent investigator who will thoroughly and impartially answer the questions of what happened and why,” said state Sen. Ed Ableser.
“It is important to maintain public trust in our system of justice and our government," he added. "In pursuing justice, we must also remain faithful to our Constitution. The botched execution has caused serious concern on both sides of the aisle. We must do all we can to seek answers with honesty and transparency while avoiding any appearance of impropriety in this investigation."
Additional coverage includes:
"Arizona inmate Joseph Wood was injected 15 times with execution drugs," by Tom Dart for the Guardian.
"15 injections used in controversial Arizona execution, documents show," by Ben Brumfield at CNN.
"Inmate in two-hour execution got 15 times the standard dose of drugs, records disclose," by Debra Cassens Weiss at ABA Journal.
Earlier coverage of Arizona's botched execution begins with the preceding post.
Comments