A death row inmate spent forty minutes writhing in agony before dying of a heart attack following a new cocktail of drugs administered in a lethal injection on Tuesday night.
Oklahoma prison officials halted Clayton Lockett’s execution after the left the man writhing and clenching his teeth on the gurney.
The 38-year-old, who was found guilty of shooting a woman and watching his friends bury her alive, was declared unconscious ten minutes after the first of the state’s new three-drug lethal injection combination was administered.
Three minutes later, though, he began breathing heavily, writhing, clenching his teeth and straining to lift his head off the pillow.
It later emerged his vein had ruptured.
The blinds were eventually lowered to prevent those in the viewing gallery from watching what was happening in the death chamber, and the state’s top prison official eventually called a halt to the proceedings.
Lockett died of a heart attack a short time later, the Department of Corrections said.
Local media present said Mr Lockett sat up and said ‘something’s wrong’ 13 minutes into the procedure.
‘It was a horrible thing to witness. This was totally botched,’ said Lockett’s attorney, David Autry.
HOW THE BOTCHED EXECUTION PLAYED OUT!
6:23 p.m. – The injection process begins. Lockett has heavy, slow blinks, laid still
6:29 p.m. – Consistently closed his eyes
6:30 p.m. – First check of consciousness; still conscious
6:33 p.m. – Announced Lockett was officially unconscious
6:34 p.m. – Lockett started to move his mouth
6:36 p.m. – Lockett began convulsing and mumbling
6:37 p.m. – Lockett sat up and said ‘something’s wrong’
6:39 p.m. – Prison officials lowered the blinds
7:06 p.m. – Lockett dies of massive heart attack
Read more: DailyMail
