Texas carries out first US execution since Christa Pike case
46-year-old Jamaal Howard received a fatal dose of pentobarbital at Huntsville prison after courts and Governor Greg Abbott denied delay requests.
Stock photo for illustration only, not from the actual event
- Jamaal Howard, 46, was executed at the state prison in Huntsville at 20:03 local time.
- Lawyers unsuccessfully sought a stay citing risks from Christa Pike's recent botched lethal injection.
- Courts and Texas Governor Greg Abbott declined requests to delay the execution by 30 days.
- Howard apologized to the family of Vickie Swartout, whom he killed during a 2000 robbery.
Texas has carried out its first execution since the botched lethal injections involving Christa Pike last week, according to the BBC's US partner, CBS News. Lawyers for 46-year-old Jamaal Howard had petitioned a judge to pause the procedure in light of the previous incident.
However, the courts denied their requests, and Howard was administered a fatal dose of pentobarbital at the state prison in Huntsville. He was officially pronounced dead at 20:03 local time. Howard had been convicted and sentenced to death for the 2000 murder of Vickie Swartout, a 42-year-old convenience store clerk, during a robbery where he stole a carton of cigarettes and $114 from the register when he was 20 years old.
Stock photo for illustration only, not from the actual event
His legal team argued that because Texas intended to use pentobarbital—the same drug administered to Pike—Howard faced identical risks. They also claimed that the state's drug supply had degraded, mirroring arguments made by Pike's attorneys.
A court twice rejected their appeals, and the US Supreme Court subsequently turned down the final appeal late Wednesday. Howard's attorneys also petitioned Texas Governor Greg Abbott, a Republican, to grant a 30-day reprieve to gather further details regarding the execution drug, but the governor declined.
Capital punishment procedures involving lethal injections in the United States routinely face intense legal scrutiny and ethical debates. Challenges regarding drug procurement protocols and potential complications often prompt eleventh-hour legal appeals from defense attorneys aiming to halt executions.
According to US media reports, when asked if he had any final statement, Howard apologized to Swartout's family, who observed the execution from a designated witness room.
Source: BBC World
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