Ark. governor: No execution probe
State argues inmate did not suffer, but others disagree.
LITTLE ROCK, ARK. — Arkansas’ governor 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 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. The state has been seeking to carry out as many lethal injec tions as possible before its supply of midazolam expires at the end of April.
“I think it’s totally unjustified,” Gov. Asa Hutchinson told reporters 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 of all physical evidence related to Williams’ body.
The state argued in a court filing Friday that there’s no proof that Williams suffered.
Hutchinson said the Department of Correction will review Williams’ execution, as is routine. He said a report would not be issued.
The governor said he does not think Arkansas needs to change its execution protocol, citing court rulings that have upheld the use of midazolam, which has also been used in flawed executions in other states. But he has not ordered prison officials to find a replacement for Arkansas’ supply of the drug after it expires.
About three minutes into the execution, Williams’ body jerked 15 times in quick succession, lurching violently. Then the rate slowed for a final five movements.
After the jerking, Williams breathed through his mouth and moaned or groaned once — during a consciousness check — until f al l i ng s t i l l seven minutes after the lethal injection.
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.
Williams’ attorneys re - leased a statement calling the witness accounts “horrifying.” The American Civil Liberties Union of Arkansas also called for an investigation, arguing that the state may have violated the Eighth Amendment’s prohibition of cruel and unusual punishment.
Arkansas had planned eight executions over an 11day period, the most ambitious schedule since the U.S. Supreme Court reinstated the death penalty in 1976. But courts issued stays for four of the inmates. The four lethal injections that were carried out included Monday’s double execution, the first in the U.S. since 2000.