EXECUTION IS BOTCHED.. 50 YEARS AFTER KILLER JAILED
Medics tried to inject drugs for nearly an hour
THE execution of one of America’s longest-serving death row inmates was dramatically called off after prison staff botched his lethal injection.
Officials in Idaho were forced to grant serial killer Thomas Creech a reprieve after he spent almost an hour strapped to a table in the execution chamber.
Creech, 73, was imprisoned in 1974 for five murders across three states. While in prison, he beat 22-year-old David Dale Jensen to death – the crime for which he was to be executed. He has been on death row since 1981.
He was wheeled into the room at the Idaho Maximum Security Institution in Kuna at 10am on Wednesday. But the warden halted the execution 58 minutes later after eight attempts to attach an IV line. A team of three medical team members attempted sites in both
Creech’s arms and legs. At one point, a member of staff left to gather more supplies.
Later, a medical cart was moved in front of the media witness viewing window.
Each attempt took several minutes, with staff having to inject a numbing solution before positioning the line.
Throughout the process, Creech frequently looked at his family members and representatives, sitting in a separate witness room.
After the execution was halted, the warden approached Creech and whispered to him for several minutes, giving his arm a squeeze.
Creech’s attorneys immediately filed a bid to stop further attempts to kill him, saying: “Given the badly botched execution attempt this morning, which proves [the state’s] inability to carry out a humane and constitutional execution, counsel preemptively seek an emergency stay of execution.”
The Idaho Department of Corrections said its death warrant for Creech would expire and that it was considering the next steps.
Wednesday’s execution attempt comes just weeks after the US carried out its first death sentence using nitrogen gas.
Killer Kenneth Smith writhed in agony for several minutes after a mask was placed over his face. He died after 22 minutes.
Lethal injection is the preferred method of execution in states that have the death penalty. But pharmaceutical companies have blocked their products from being used in executions, meaning some states are looking for alternative methods.
The badly botched attempt proves the state’s inability to carry out a humane execution LAWYERS REPRESENTING MURDERER THOMAS CREECH