Clayton Lockett

Clayton Darrell Lockett (born November 22, 1975 , † April 29, 2014 in McAlester , Oklahoma ) was an American convicted murderer . His execution by lethal injection caused a lot of media attention and intensified in connection with the execution of Dennis McGuire standing debate about the death penalty in the United States .

Crime and Conviction

Lockett kidnapped 19-year-old Stephanie Neiman and three other people in 1999 with two accomplices. Since Neiman did not deviate from wanting to inform the police of this action, Lockett decided to shoot his victim. However, his gun jammed after two shots and he instructed his cronies to bury Neiman, who was still alive at the time, which eventually led to her death. Lockett was sentenced to death in 2000 for this single act of gang rape, kidnapping, assault and other acts.

execution

The execution was preceded by a legal battle that lasted for weeks. Lockett's attorney had asked for the execution to be postponed because an untested drug mix was being used. The judicial authorities also refused to provide information about the manufacturers or suppliers of the preparations. A district court ruled that the constitution required that suppliers and manufacturers, as well as the exact drug composition, should not be kept secret during executions. Oklahoma Governor Mary Fallin publicly criticized the court's decision and insisted on the execution date. The Oklahoma Supreme Court overturned the district court's decision the week before the execution. The background to the dispute was the refusal of European manufacturers to supply chemicals for executions, which had led to supply bottlenecks for proven drugs ( pentobarbital ).

Lockett was the 110th prisoner executed in Oklahoma and the 1,379th total executed in the United States since the national execution moratorium was lifted in 1976. When he was executed on April 29, 2014 at the Oklahoma State Penitentiary in McAlester , Lockett was given midazolam , vecuronium, and potassium chloride in succession administered with a syringe. Ten minutes after the execution began, the observing doctor found the delinquent unconscious. Three minutes later, however, Lockett began to breathe heavily, gasp, writhing, and gritting his teeth. He also tried to lift his head and articulate himself. After the administration of one of the drugs, a vein burst; according to the later results of the investigation, this was (also) unprofessionally pierced. The curtains on the auditorium were lowered, and prison chief Robert Patton had the execution halted. Lockett died of a heart attack 43 minutes after the execution began .

Aftermath of the execution

The execution of another delinquent, which was planned for the same day, was suspended following the unsuccessful execution of Lockett. Oklahoma's governor ordered an investigation into the incident and a two-week moratorium on all further executions. On May 8, 2014, the Oklahoma Supreme Court of Appeals ordered that all executions in that US state be suspended for six months. In a report published in August 2014, it was not the drugs used but an incorrectly applied hypodermic needle in Lockett's groin that was held responsible for the unsuccessful execution.

Human Rights Watch's Antonio Ginatta described the execution of Clayton Lockett as "state-sanctioned torture." The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights called for the abolition of the "cruel and inhuman practice" after Lockett's execution.

Federal Press Secretary Jay Carney commented, “We have a basic standard in this country. Even if the death penalty is justified, it must be carried out humanely. Everyone will see that this case did not live up to this standard. ”The 44th President of the United States, Barack Obama , stated in a press conference that he has appointed Attorney General Eric Holder to investigate the nationwide practice of the death penalty. There are significant problems, as the Lockett case has shown.

Despite the debate about the death penalty fueled by the execution of Clayton Lockett , 59% of Americans polled are in favor of the death penalty and 35% opposed it , according to a poll published by NBC on May 15, 2014 .

The events surrounding Lockett's execution in Missouri on May 21, 2014, at the instigation of the United States Supreme Court, led to the suspension of the execution of a delinquent who was feared similar complications to Lockett's health problems, less than an hour before execution.

In Tennessee , Governor Bill Haslam signed law in May 2014 reinstating electric chair execution should there not be enough chemicals to perform an injection execution. Previously, convicts could opt for this type of execution; the law made the electric chair the standard method if no tested poison is available.

On June 18, 2014, for the first time after Lockett, convicts were executed in the USA. The lethal injection executions took place in the states of Georgia and Missouri .

In late June 2014, 21 death row inmates filed lawsuits against the US state law enforcement agency in federal court in Oklahoma. In October 2014, Oklahoma Attorney General Scott Pruitt announced that executions would be postponed until 2015 due to a lack of poisons and staff. Also in October 2014, Lockett's brother filed a lawsuit against Oklahoma for violating international law. The United States Supreme Court dismissed the death row inmates' lawsuit on June 29, 2015 and continues to allow midazolam to be used in executions.

Web links

• An eyewitness on Lockett's execution. (Video, 2 minutes, English, German subtitles)

Individual evidence

1. ↑ ^{a b} Dagmar Dehmer, Oklahoma's governor comes under pressure after unsuccessful execution. In: Tagesspiegel of April 30, 2014.
2. ↑ ^{a b c d} 43 minutes of agony after lethal injection. In: Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung of April 30, 2014.
3. ↑ ^{a b c d} Oklahoma: botched execution - murderer dies after long agony. In: Spiegel Online from April 30, 2014.
4. ^ Clayton Derrell Lockett in the clarkprosecutor.org database (accessed February 12, 2015).
5. ↑ ^{a b} Protocol of a death throes. In: Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung of April 30, 2014.
6. ^ First autopsy results in the Clayton Lockett case. Notice on the homepage of the Initiative against the Death Penalty of June 14, 2014.
7. ↑ AFP: Executions in Oklahoma are suspended. In: Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung of May 9, 2014 (accessed May 9, 2014).
8. ↑ Gesa Mayr , AP: Murderer died from problems with the injection. In: Spiegel Online from September 4, 2014.
9. ↑ ^{a b} The White House criticizes agonizing execution , Zeit Online, May 1, 2014.
10. ↑ Benjamin Knaack / AP / AFP: UN condemns agonizing execution of Clayton Lockett. In: Spiegel Online from May 2, 2014.
11. ↑ Tortured execution: Obama has execution practices examined. In: Spiegel Online from May 3, 2014.
12. ↑ Majority of US citizens support the death penalty. In: Focus Online from May 16, 2014.
13. ↑ US Supreme Court suspends execution shortly before execution. In: Limmattaler Zeitung of May 21, 2014.
14. ↑ Death penalty in the US: Tennessee reintroduces electric chair due to lack of lethal injections. , Spiegel Online from May 23, 2014.
15. ^ Tennessee introduces electric chair In: Süddeutsche Zeitung of May 23, 2014.
16. ^ Another two death row inmates executed , Süddeutsche Zeitung Online, June 18, 2014.
17. ↑ Lawsuit by death row inmates in Oklahoma after torturous execution.  ( Page no longer available , search in web archives )  Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. Report from the Swiss dispatch agency on bluewin.ch dated June 26, 2014 (accessed on June 26, 2014).  
18. ↑ Oklahoma attorney general wants to postpone three executions. In: Spiegel Online from October 14, 2014.
19. ↑ Clayton Lockett's brother sues the state of Oklahoma. In: Spiegel Online from October 15, 2014.
20. ↑ After torturous executions: Supreme US court rejects sedative complaint. In: Spiegel Online from June 29, 2015.