Official: Florida Botched Execution

Medical Official Says Inmate's Execution Took Longer Because Needles Missed Veins

(AP)  The execution of a convicted killer took 34 minutes — twice as long as normal — because officials botched the insertion of the needles that delivered the lethal chemicals, a medical examiner said Friday.

Dr. William Hamilton, who performed the autopsy, said the needles pierced Angel Nieves Diaz's veins and then went into soft tissue in his arms. The lethal chemicals are supposed to go directly into the veins.

Hamilton refused to say whether he thought Diaz died a painful death.

"I am going to defer answers about pain and suffering until the autopsy is complete," he said. He said the results were preliminary and toxicology tests and other tests may take several weeks.

As a result of the chemicals going into his arms, around the elbow, he had an 12-inch chemical burn on his right arm and an 11-inch chemical burn on his left arm, Hamilton said.

Florida Corrections Secretary James McDonough said the execution team did not see any swelling of the arms, which would have been an indication that the chemicals were going into tissues and not veins.

Hamilton also said that although there were records that Diaz had hepatitis, his liver appeared normal. State corrections officials said after Wednesday's execution that Diaz had liver disease, which caused him to metabolize the lethal drugs more slowly.

Gov. Jeb Bush's office said he learned of the medical examiner's preliminary findings and has since ordered the creation of a commission to review the way lethal injection is administered in Florida.

David Elliot, spokesman for the National Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty, said experts his group had contacted suspected that liver disease was not the explanation for the problem.

"Florida has certainly deservedly earned a reputation for being a state that conducts botched executions, whether its electrocution or lethal injection," Elliot said. "We just think the Florida death penalty system is broken from start to finish."

[merseydave]

I hope you realise the rest of the world watches this "justice system" which really makes Americas moral stance against others defunct.

Is it not about time the US stopped the death Penalty- it doesn't seem to work, murder rates are still high, its unfair and unjust.

European Union rules mean that member countries cannot have the death penalty,and quite right too. Fascinating that the US would not be allowed to join. The other positive aspect of Europe is the growing secularisation and seperation of church and state.

And 34 minutes to kill someone. The last uk executions by hanging saw people from the cell to dead within 15 seconds. What we see in Florida and other states is revenge by the state. Take note that Britains last executioner, after killing over 600 people came to this conclusion.

No justice system is perfect, but in America you seem to get the justice you can afford and the sentance thats politically right.

Is that where the " most powerful country in the world" should be in 2006?

David- UK

[hermit22]

Everybody in jail, prison, or death row should get the choice to go to Bible School. Remember Velma Barfield? She killed, was it 4 people?
She killed her boyfriend I think and her MOTHER!
This was very bad, but, like the theif on the cross Velma Barfield REPENTED and gave her life to the Lord before she was executed back in 93 or 95 or something.

It is cruel punishment NOT to offer repentance to people.Jailbirds should get a choice: "Do you want to go to Christian prison, or regular?" There should be pervert prison too....so they don't get mixed into the general population.

[blahblahbla5]

processor2
Thanks for pushing my arguement off the page with your flood, very nice of you.

Once again, there's a lot of people who simply don't know that there's a 'golden bullet' for capital punishment. Nitrogen asphyxiation kills without the sensation of dying, it doesn't release any harmful gases into the atmosphere, and it only requires a doctor to confirm the executed man as dead. Lets push for our congressmen to implement this solution so that the "cruel and unusual" arguement can finally be resolved and we can get into whether or not it is MORAL to murder someone over a crime.

[randalds]

Prove to that there is or isn't a God or just leave the word out!!!!!

Posted by gunnerv1 at 12:32 PM : Dec 15, 2006

There is no way to prove that there is or is not a God as it's a belief system, not something solid that you can quantify. Personally I don't believe there is, but I certainly have no problem with people who hold that there is. Except of course when they feel the need to constantly preach to me about it.

[gslinger3]

Processor2,

Great Job!! This is just proof positive that a liberal cannot explain or justify abortion, they will 100% of the time run out of arguments for it to the point of being speechless and resort to calling you names out of anger and frustration. Right always wins in the end!!!! I wonder why they call us the Right? lol

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!!

[gunnerv1]

Prove to that there is or isn't a God or just leave the word out!!!!!

[processor2]

TO ALL LIBERALS WHO ARE UPSET over the execution of this murderer ....... I KNOW HOW TO MAKE YOU FEEL BETTER.

Don't consider this an execution; instead, just "visualize" that this murderer was a baby, and the only thing Florida did was perform a late-term abortion.

That should ease liberal conciousness's

[processor2]

frankly6

tick,tock,tick,tock

still waiting

[processor2]

frankly6

tick,tock,tick,tock,tick,tock

[processor2]

frankly6

So, you are pro-life for murderers, but pro-death when it comes to cute babies?

[frankly6]

processor2

So you are pro-life until birth and then believe the state should kill them?

[processor2]

TO ALL LIBERALS WHO ARE UPSET over the execution of this murderer ....... I KNOW HOW TO MAKE YOU FEEL BETTER.

Don't consider this an execution; instead, just "visualize" that this murderer was a baby, and the only thing Florida did was perform a late-term abortion.

That should ease liberal conciousness's

......................

[gslinger3]

jerryomara,

To deny God's existance is quite a good bit more absurd than to deny your very own existance. My prayer is that God one day softens your heart and that you will not be so bitter towards him and maybe even accept that he is real and he loves you inspite of your denial.

Merry Christmas!!!!!

[gslinger3]

It didn't take 30 miniutes for him to die, it took 27 years, 30 mins.

[samthetvcat]

Yeah, it's outrageous this guy too 27 years to exhaust his appeals - 27 years!?! I could see how a lot of people might think it's criminal defense attorney greed that's the problem, but often the judges who preside over the appeals of these types of cases are just unilaterally against the death-penalty and think they're being noble by continuing to give guys like this opportunity upon opportunity to contest his conviction on the most minute grounds. And since there's hundreds/thousands of these cases percolating through the system at any given time, these little rulings don't get reported in the news and these judges are never held accountable and generally get re-elected. It's a real injustice.

[hermit22]

Death penalty: 27 year job security for lawyers.
When it needs to be done, it needs to go faster.

Quibble Quibble, here's your check.
Quibble Quibble, here's your check.

[randalds]

Why does everyone start taking shots at liberals when it comes to the death penalty and just assuming we all march in lockstep against it? My politics are somewhere to the left of Michael Moore, but I'm pro death penalty in extreme cases, like child rape/murder or mass murder. You people on the right need to stop lumping all liberals in together. Unlike republicans we encompass many different views on many different subjects.

[CBSTV]

How depraved. Death penalty advocates are morally corrupt.

[LadyDraco]

Funny You say I am morrally corrupot because I am a strong beleiver in DO unto others. and Per the book so many Conseratives THUMP at me the Dear ole Bible.. A Murder broke one of the 10 comandments. Second I could quote chapter and Verse God Said An eye for an eye. so which is right your gods Own words or some twisted moral code that feels the impoverished, should eat and live on less then 15,000 a year and a Murderer has Cable tv Three Meals a Day and better Medical lets save the tax payers 35,000 dollars a yearin housing these Abominations to the Law and the Moral code you so happily stand behind.

[karen091866]

What kind of dumb@ss thinks a person can be "executed twice" ?

[red1530]

Florida should of just hanged him.