ST. LOUIS (AP) - Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon has no plans to push for changes in the state’s execution protocol following a botched execution in Oklahoma.
Oklahoma inmate Clayton Lockett died of an apparent heart attack Tuesday night, 43 minutes after his execution began. Lockett was writhing on the gurney and grinding his teeth during the process. Oklahoma’s governor is calling for an independent review of that state’s execution protocol.
A spokeswoman for Nixon said Wednesday that Missouri has its own protocol, one that has been upheld by the courts. Spokeswoman Channing Ansley says Nixon continues to support the death penalty for the most “merciless and violent crimes.”
Attorneys for Russell Bucklew urged Nixon to reconsider. Bucklew is scheduled to die on May 21 for killing a man in southeast Missouri in 1996.
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