Arkansas judge blocks lethal drug
ments centered on the three drugs the state uses to carry out executions: midazolam, L I T T L E ROCK, ARK. — A n used to sedate the inmate; Arkansas judge on Friday vecuronium bromide, which blocked the state from using stops the inmate’s breatha lethal injection drug in its ing; and potassium chloride, upcoming executions of six which stops the heart. men over 11 days after a comArkansas had planned pany argued that it had not to execute seven inmates sold the drug to the state before the end of the month, to be used for capital punwhen its supply of midazishment. olam expires.
Pul a ski C ount y Ci rc ui t U.S. District Judge Kristine Judge Wendell Griffffffffffffen issued Baker was also considering a temporary restraining order the inmates’ contention that Friday preventing Arkansas such a compressed schedule from using its supply of vecucould lead to errors resulting ronium bromide in the execuin undue pain and suffffering. tions, which had been schedSpokesmen for the state uled to start Monday night. and prison system did not
McKesson, a medical supply immediately return a call company, said it sold the drug seeking comment. to the prison system believing Along with McKesson, Freit would be used for medical senius Kabi USA and Westpurposes. The company has Ward Pharmaceuticals Corp. said it had been reassured the filed a friend of the court drug would be returned and brief objecting to their drugs’ even issued a refund. use in the executions. Frese
Griffffffffffffen’s order came the nius Kabi said it appeared it same day the state Supreme had manufactured the potasCourt halted the execution sium chloride the state plans of another inmate who had to use, while West-Ward is been scheduled to die Monthe likely manufacturer of day night, and as a federal the state’s midazolam. judge heard arguments in a As the courts considered case brought by McKesson the companies’ arguments, and other drug companies. death penalt y opponents
Meanwhile, hundreds of held a rally headlined by people gathered outside the Echols, who spent nearly Arkansas Capitol on Friday 18 years on Arkansas’ death to protest the state’s plan, row before he and two other including actor Johnny Depp men were freed in 2011 in and former Arkansas death a plea deal in which they row inmate Damien Echols, maintained their innocence. who was freed in 2011. “I didn’t want to come
The Supreme Court justices b a c k , b u t whe n I h e a rd issued a stay in the execution about the conveyor belt of of Bruce Ward, whose attordeath that the politicians neys had requested the action were trying to set in motion, after a county judge said she I guess I knew I wouldn’t be didn’t have the authority to able to live with myself if I order a halt. Ward’s attorneys didn’t come back and try to are seeking to present argudo something,” said Echols, ment that their client, conwho now lives in New York. victed in 1990 of strangling If carried out, the execua woman in a convenience tions would mark the most store restroom, is incompeinmates put to death by a tent to be executed. state in such a short period
In the federal case, argu- in modern history.