After 6-year lull, state moves closer to resuming executions
Arizona may be one step closer to resuming executions after a six-year hiatus. Attorney General Mark Brnovich on Thursday notified Gov. Doug Ducey that he has found a drug supplier.
Last month, shortly after federal officials announced they had acquired the needed drug and would resume executions, Brnovich asked Ducey to help him access the drugs to also resume the practice in Arizona.
Many manufacturers have refused to sell the drugs for execution purposes, making acquiring them a challenge for both the federal government and states.
There are more than 100 people on
death row in Arizona and 20 of them have exhausted their appeals. The crimes date back to the 1970s.
The last person to be executed in Arizona was Joseph R. Wood in 2014. A controversial drug cocktail left him snorting and gasping for nearly two hours before he died.
Brnovich in his letter Thursday asked Ducey to not delay in securing the drug, pentobarbital. He said finding a supplier is a “significant development that removes all barriers” for the state.
“We must uphold the rule of law and respect court-ordered sentences,” Brnovich wrote.
“It is our solemn obligation to all victims of heinous crimes, their families, and our communities, some of who have been waiting for decades, for justice to be served.”
During a news conference on Thursday, Ducey was asked about his lack of response to Brnovich’s request for help.
“I haven’t been reticent, there’s been no opportunity,” Ducey said.
He said he had just received the letter and he would provide a response once he receives more information.
Getting access to the drug
Arizona officials have tried for years to access the drugs and resume executions.
State officials in 2015 tried to ship thiopental from out of the country, but federal officials impounded the drug at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport.
In 2017, the Arizona Department of Corrections posted execution procedures that require executions to be carried out using either of two barbiturates, pentobarbital or thiopental.
The federal government is using pentobarbital. The U.S. Supreme Court upheld the Federal Bureau of Prisons’ protocol using the drug.
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit upheld an Arizona law that protects the identity of individuals who supply the drugs to the state, a move some believe will make suppliers more willing to provide them for execution purposes.
“The disclosure of suppliers’ identities makes it more difficult to obtain drugs as it has given rise to harassment or retaliation by death penalty opponents,” Brnovich wrote in his July letter. “The Ninth Circuit’s opinion now alleviates any such concern.”
Death row
The Arizona Department of Corrections, Rehabilitation and Reentry will work with the attorney general and governor to decide who will be the first people to be executed.
Katie Conner, spokeswoman for the attorney general, said the overall court process can be daunting for families of victims. She said Brnovich has met with several families and hearing their pain is “heartbreaking.”
“Far too often, we focus on the convicted killers in these cases,” she said. “Meanwhile, the victims’ families continue to suffer as justice gets further delayed. Those convicted of the ultimate crimes need to be held accountable.”
In his letter to Ducey last month, Brnovich shared the story of Vicki Lynne Hoskinson. The 8-year-old child was murdered by Frank Atwood.
Her mother, Debbie Carlson, said families and communities need closure.
“Our loved ones’ lives were taken by these monsters. They were sentenced to death. It should not take 33-plus years to carry out that sentence,” she told The Arizona Republic in July. “Our family and communities need closure. I implore Governor Ducey to order the Arizona Department of Corrections to procure the drugs necessary to complete the executions.”