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January 17, 2014

Ohio Prisoner Takes Nearly 25 Minutes to Die in Execution with Untested Drug Combo 
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Ohio has executed a prisoner using an untested two-drug method despite
warnings it might cause immense suffering. It took nearly 25 minutes for
the lethal injection to kill Dennis Mc Guire. Mc Guire's lawyers had
tried to halt the execution, warning he could "experience the agony and
terror of air hunger as he struggles to breathe." But an Ohio state
prosecutor argued Mc Guire was "not entitled to a pain-free execution,"
and a judge allowed it to go forward. A witness described what happened.

Witness: "I would say for 10 to 13 minutes Mr. Mc Guire appeared to be
gasping for air. I don't know if it was air hunger or exactly what it
was, but all I'm going to tell you is the description. He gasped deeply.
There was kind of a rattling, guttural sound. There was a kind of a
snorting through his nose. A couple times he definitely appeared to be
choking."

Ohio officials say they were forced to use the untried drug method of
midazolam and hydromorphone amid a shortage of pentobarbitol after the
Danish manufacturer banned its use in U.S. executions.

 

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