Execution probe ‘totally unjustified’ after grizzly death, says governor

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) — Arkansas’ governor said Friday he sees no reason for anything beyond a routine review of the state’s execution procedures after a condemned inmate lurched and convulsed 20 times during a lethal injection that involved a controversial sedative.

Attorneys for Kenneth Williams called for a full investigation after Williams became the fourth convicted killer executed in Arkansas in eight days as the state sought to carry out as many lethal injections as possible before its supply of midazolam expires.

“I think it’s totally unjustified,” Gov. Asa Hutchinson said about the possibility of an independent probe. “You don’t call for an independent investigation unless there’s some reason for it. Last night, one of the goals was there not be any indications of pain by the inmate, and that’s what I believe is the case.”

A federal judge on Friday granted a request from Williams’ attorneys to preserve evidence from the inmate’s body, ordering the state to collect blood and tissue samples as well as request an autopsy.