It should've taken no more than 15 minutes. What happened to Joseph Wood's execution?
It was another case of botched execution according to Wood's lawyers, prompting an emergency appeal to resuscitate the convict after an hour has passed since the lethal drugs were administered. Wood was led to the execution chamber at 1:52 p.m. Wednesday. He was declared dead at 3:49 p.m.
Wood received the death sentence in 1991 for killing Debra Dietz, his girlfriend, and Eugene Dietz, Debra's father, in Tucson in 1989. The U.S. Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals issued a stay for his execution when his lawyers argued that Wood has the right to know what kind of drugs will be used for the execution and where these drugs came from. The Supreme Court lifted the stay but Wood's attorneys then turned to pointing out that the drugs could potentially violate his Eight Amendment right against unusual and cruel punishment. They were unsuccessful.
A sedative, midazolam, and medication for halting breathing, hydromorphone, were administered to Wood. After five minutes, it seemed that the execution was progressing as expected. But his condition changed a few minutes later and soon Wood appeared to be gasping for air, an act that lasted for nearly two hours.
Arizona Governor Jan Brewer is also concerned about what happened, directing the Department of Corrections to launch a full inquiry into the lethal injection process. "One thing is certain, however, inmate Wood died in a lawful manner, and by eyewitness and medical accounts he did not suffer. This is in stark comparison to the gruesome, vicious suffering that he inflicted on his two victims - and the lifetime of suffering he has caused their family," she said in a statement.
What happened to Wood was reminiscent of executions in Ohio and Oklahoma this year involving Dennis McGuire and Clayton Lockett. The two didn't suffer as long as Wood did, however. McGuire only had to endure for 25 minutes while Lockett died 43 minutes into his execution from a heart attack. McGuire was given the exact combination of drugs used on Wood while Lockett also received a dose of midazolam as the first drug for his execution.
The Dietzs' family members were in attendance for the execution but Debra's Sister Jeane said what happened was nothing, adding Wood deserved everything that he had coming. Her husband Robert Brown said Wood should've just been given Drano.
