Governor: No need for inquiry into execution

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson said Friday that 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.

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 one of its drugs expires.

“I think it’s totally unjustified,” Hutchinson said when asked 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.”

Williams’ lawyers asked a federal judge to order officials to preserve all physical evidence related to the inmate’s body.

Hutchinson said Williams’ execution will be reviewed by the Department of Correction, which is normal.

The governor said he does not think Arkansas needs to change its execution protocol, citing court rulings that have upheld the use of the sedative midazolam, which was a component of Williams’ injection.

An Associated Press reporter who witnessed the execution said that about three minutes in, Williams’ body jerked 15 times in quick succession, lurching violently against the leather restraint across his chest. Then the rate slowed for a final five movements.

Hutchinson said Arkansas Department of Correction Director Wendy Kelley described Williams’ movement as “coughing without noise,” though media witnesses described hearing sounds from the inmate.