Unusual circumstances of Ga. execution to be cited in challenges to new drug's use

Unusual circumstances of Ga. execution to be cited in challenges to new drug's use

ATLANTA - The thrashing, jerking death of Roy Willard Blankenship has lawyers for death row inmates plotting fresh arguments against
the drug used to execute him, even though they may never be able
to prove that it caused the spasms in his last moments.

Medical experts say it's possible that Georgia prison staff botched
the procedure last week using a controversial new sedative, that Blankenship had some sort of jarring reaction to the drug, or even
that he faked it. Still, defence attorneys around the nation say they plan to cite Blankenship in requests to stop executions using pentobarbital, a chemical being adopted by a growing number
of states as they run out of another commonly-used drug.

© Star Tribune

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