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Georgia Delays Execution of Female Inmate Over ‘Cloudy Drug’ Concerns

© AP Photo / FileA lawsuit filed on behalf of 21 Oklahoma death row inmates on Wednesday, June 25, 2014, seeks to halt any attempt to execute them using the state's current lethal injection protocols, which it claims presents a risk of severe pain and suffering.
A lawsuit filed on behalf of 21 Oklahoma death row inmates on Wednesday, June 25, 2014, seeks to halt any attempt to execute them using the state's current lethal injection protocols, which it claims presents a risk of severe pain and suffering. - Sputnik International
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Georgia postponed its first execution of a woman inmate since World War II, after concerns were raised about the drug used in the lethal injection.

Kelly Gissendaner was scheduled to be executed at 7 p.m. on Monday for the murder of her husband, but the drug, pentobarbital, appeared cloudy, prompting officials to delay the execution out of an “abundance of caution,” said Georgia Department of Corrections spokeswoman Gwendolyn Hogan.

“Prior to the execution, the drugs were sent to an independent lab for testing of potency. The drugs fell within the acceptable testing limits. Within the hours leading up to the scheduled execution, the execution team performed the necessary checks. At that time, the drugs appeared cloudy,” she said.

© AP Photo / FileOklahoma plans to resume executions Thursday, Jan. 15, 2015, after botching its last one and will use the same three-drug method as a Florida lethal injection scheduled for the same day. The drug mixture begins with the sedative midazolam and includes the same drugs used in Oklahoma’s botched execution of Clayton Lockett, who writhed on the gurney and moaned after he’d been declared unconscious.
Oklahoma plans to resume executions Thursday, Jan. 15, 2015, after botching its last one and will use the same three-drug method as a Florida lethal injection scheduled for the same day. The drug mixture begins with the sedative midazolam and includes the same drugs used in Oklahoma’s botched execution of Clayton Lockett, who writhed on the gurney and moaned after he’d been declared unconscious. - Sputnik International
Oklahoma plans to resume executions Thursday, Jan. 15, 2015, after botching its last one and will use the same three-drug method as a Florida lethal injection scheduled for the same day. The drug mixture begins with the sedative midazolam and includes the same drugs used in Oklahoma’s botched execution of Clayton Lockett, who writhed on the gurney and moaned after he’d been declared unconscious.

The execution was originally scheduled for Feb. 25, but was delayed due to a winter storm.

Gissendaner was convicted in 1997 of masterminding the murder of her husband Douglas Gissendaner.  She later returned to the scene and helped destroy the evidence.

While incarcerated for nearly 20 years, she claims she is a changed person. She earned a certificate in theology, held bible classes and counseled inmates.

© Georgia Department of CorrectionsKelly Gissendaner was scheduled to be executed at 7 p.m. on Monday for the murder of her husband, but the drug, pentobarbital, appeared cloudy.
Kelly Gissendaner was scheduled to be executed at 7 p.m. on Monday for the murder of her husband, but the drug, pentobarbital, appeared cloudy. - Sputnik International
Kelly Gissendaner was scheduled to be executed at 7 p.m. on Monday for the murder of her husband, but the drug, pentobarbital, appeared cloudy.

Religious groups argued that her spiritual changes warranted stopping the execution.

Her lawyers had filed an emergency stay with the state’s pardon and parole board, but were denied clemency, clearing the way for her execution.

“The sentence is appropriate for the crime that was committed and the circumstances of this case, and really, what she’s done since, is almost something that does not need to be considered,” said Danny Porter, Gwinnett County District Attorney.

Gissendaner has asked the US Supreme Court to act, but the high court has not responded yet.

Kelly Gissendaner is the only woman on Georgia’s death row. Should her execution at the state prison be carried out, she will be the first woman to be executed in the state since 1945 and the 16th in the country since 1976.

The execution room is shown Friday, Nov. 18, 2011, at the Oregon State Penitentiary, in Salem, Ore - Sputnik International
Back to Black: Oklahoma Will Carry On With Ill-Fated Lethal Injections

The number of executions throughout the US has fallen to its lowest level in years, due to states finding enough approved drugs to use in the lethal injection cocktails.

Last April, Oklahoma inmate Clayton Lockett was writhing on the gurney, mumbling and visibly gasping for 43 minutes after being injected with the sedative midazolam.  

Oklahoma Governor Mary Fallin ordered a complete review after the Lockett execution.

Eight months later, the state resumed executing its death row felons using lethal injections, using the same sedatives that had caused problems during Lockett’s procedure.

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