Ohio executes inmate by single lethal injection
Ohio became the first state in the country to execute a prisoner via a new single dose lethal injection on Tuesday, December 8th. Convicted murder Kenneth Biros died yesterday in the Southern Ohio Correctional Facility in Lucasville for the 1991 rape and murder of Tami Engstrom. Executioners began an intravenous feed of the anesthetic sodium thopenthal in his jail cell before delivering a final, larger dose on the executioner’s gurney. The new system also features a backup system that combines two drugs into a single lethal dose. Witnesses reported that Biros’ chest heaved up and down and that he was able to tilt his head sideways during the two minutes it took for him to die. Prison officials pronounced him dead at 11:47AM and reported no abnormalities during the procedure.
The normally localized event has drawn international attention because of its new method. Ohio switched to one larger dose of sodium thopenthal after the botched execution of Rommel Broom in September. Executioners at the Lucasville prison were unable to find a viable vein and reportedly jabbed Broom 18 times with a needle while trying to proceed. His attorneys also claim that executioners were not prepared to handle any problems with the injection and even asked a visiting doctor to come into the death chamber and help with the needle. Broom’s lawyers considered this cruel and unusual punishment, techniques banned in the U.S. Bill of Right’s 8th amendment. The state has announced that it plans to proceed with Broom’s execution and that his treatment did not merit action under the 8th amendment.
The fallout from the Broom execution caused the state to quickly switch to the one drug method. The new method can even be injected into a large muscle mass, such as thigh, in the event that a viable vein cannot be found. It is akin to the same method used to euthanize animals in veterinary settings. Opponents argue that sodium thopenthal can wear off and that subjects may remain aware during the actual process of dying. Clinically, the drug is sometimes used in surgical settings to anesthetize patients. The new method was never tested, making Biros’ execution the first field test of the method. The older method, which combined sodium thopenthal with two other tranquilizers, and that is still used in 34 other death penalty states was designed for humane executions that first rendered the subject unconscious. Ohio and death penalty advocates hope that the new method will quash pending lawsuits that argue the three compound method produces excruciating pain and is easily bungled.
There are currently 165 men and 1 woman on Ohio’s Death Row. The state plans to use the new system exclusively for the foreseeable future.
POSTED 12/09/2009 19:20
