On May 24, Ohio set a new record—for the length of time taken to execute a prisoner. The medical technicians worked for 90 minutes to put shunts into the veins of Christopher Newton, so long he had to be allowed to get off the execution table to have a bathroom break. During this time activists barraged the office of Ohio Gov. Ted Strickland with phone calls, threatening to alert the media.

Once the injection of lethal chemicals began, it took an additional 16 minutes for Newton to die, compared to an average of 7.5 minutes. According to the Associated Press report, his stomach contorted, his chin shook and his body had two mild convulsions. This indicates that the deadly “cocktail” was not performing as expected.
Read More...

---