In a significant turn of events following the failed execution of Christa Pike in late September in Tennessee, the state of Texas successfully carried out the first execution in the United States since then on Wednesday, October 7th.
At the Huntsville State Penitentiary, 46-year-old Jamaal Howard was administered a lethal dose of pentobarbital, a short-acting central nervous system depressant that can range from mild sedation, hypnotic effects to deep anesthesia, leading to the cessation of breathing if used in excess. Howard was pronounced dead at 8:03 p.m. after being injected with the drug. He had been sentenced to death for the murder of 42-year-old Vickie Swartout during a robbery in 2000.
Howard’s lawyers had attempted to halt the execution citing his intellectual disability and the similarity of the drug used in the execution to the one in the failed case in Tennessee, raising concerns about similar risks.
Before the execution, the warden asked Howard if he had any last words.
Howard apologized to the family of the victims, who were seated just feet away from the execution chamber observing through a window. He said, “I hope you can accept my apology and forgive me.”
As the effects of pentobarbital started to take hold, Howard gasped a few breaths and made wheezing sounds. Then, he began to snore and cough, gradually fading until he fell silent. Within about 30 seconds, all signs of bodily movement ceased.
Nineteen minutes later, he was officially declared dead.
Howard became the 30th person executed in the United States this year. Among the majority of states that allow the death penalty, lethal injection is the primary method of execution.
Christa Pike, 50, was convicted of murdering a fellow student in 1995. She was initially scheduled to be executed on September 30 at a prison in Nashville, but after being injected with two doses of pentobarbital, she remained alive. Authorities then called an ambulance to transport her to a nearby medical facility for treatment.
Pike’s legal team stated on October 6 that she is currently conscious and able to communicate.
The lawyers expressed their desire to clarify the sequence of events. On Wednesday, a judge approved their request to preserve evidence related to the failed execution. The judge warned the state government to “take special care not to lose, misplace, or accidentally delete any evidence information that may be relevant to the lawsuit.”
Tennessee Governor Bill Lee has temporarily halted all executions in the state until the end of the year and has initiated a third-party investigation into the matter.