Lethal injection was meant to be a humane execution method, but when the drugs don’t work as intended, it can turn into a prolonged nightmare. In this episode of The Medicine Murders, Dr. Meredith Beavin and cohost Andy explore two of the most horrifying botched execution; Clayton Lockett, who woke up mid-execution, and Joseph Wood, who gasped for air over 600 times before dying. We break down the history of execution methods, the science behind these drugs, and why lethal injection isn’t as painless as it seems.
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Sources List:
- Denno, D. W. (2014). Lethal Injection Chaos Post-Baze. Georgetown Law Journal, 102(6), 1331-1406.
- Koniaris, L. G., Zimmers, T. A., Lubarsky, D. A., & Sheldon, J. P. (2005). Inadequate anesthesia in lethal injection for execution. The Lancet, 365(9468), 1412-1414.
- The Death Penalty Information Center (www.deathpenaltyinfo.org)
- Oklahoma Department of Corrections – Execution Reports
- Arizona Department of Corrections – Execution Logs
- U.S. Supreme Court Cases on Lethal Injection (Baze v. Rees, Glossip v. Gross)
- Eyewitness Testimonies from Journalists & Legal Observers
- Official State Execution Protocols
- NPR, The Guardian, and The New York Times reports on botched executions
